Miss Bates, Rat Catcher!

I'm quickly learning how many different hats an elementary school teacher learns to wear. Of course, you are a teacher, a mom, a counselor, and a nurse. But I laughed out loud this morning when the class pet got loose and I became Miss Bates, rat catcher! Now, I'm not foolish enough to keep a rat in my room (I've got a tarantula instead!) but my switch teacher, Pam, has enough pets to make a zoo over there. This morning she arrived and found that the rat, Flo, had chewed through her cage and was roaming about somewhere in the room. After the bell rang, I had a frantic little boy run into my room and say, "Miss Bates! We need you over there! Flo's out!" You must be asking yourself, Why did they call Megan? Does she like catching rodents on the run? No, I haven't any particular affinity for mice or rats, but I DO have about 4 years experience catching them in my classroom. When I taught in Fort Worth, our school was a new contruction that had been built in a wide open field, which we quickly learned, was home to many, many mice families. Several times a year I would glance across the room and notice a fleeting object scurrying across the tile or behind a trash can. I knew our little friends were back. My kindergarteners became accustomed to jumping up on their tables to watch their crazy teacher try to catch the mouse. I even had one kid always assigned to fish around for my necessary tools (a tupperware book basket, a yard stick, a flashlight and a mason jar)! At first they all screamed with fear and delight, but after about the 8th mouse, it became just one of those things. It was a time of bonding for us all! : )

So this morning, I quickly gathered my tools and went to work. You should have seen the kids' faces when I came in ready to catch the rat. One little boy said, "Miss Bates, you pull teeth AND catch mice?" : ) (Aren't I multi-talented!?) Flo was hiding behind the water cooler, but she gave it up pretty quickly when we blocked her path with the book basket, tapped on the water cooler with the yard stick, and opened up the mason jar. A pretty easy catch!

All in a day's work! I love being a teacher!