When we gave Dee Dee the postcard that told her which teacher she would have for third grade, she had a hard time reading the handwriting and it made her a little agitated.  So, I told her which teacher the postcard was from.  She didn’t look happy or sad, but she looked calmer that the mystery was over and because she wouldn’t have to decipher the handwriting.  I asked if there were one of the two teachers that she was hoping to have.  She said that she didn’t really care.  We talked about how it comes down to the chemistry of the classroom as a whole.  Then, my wife brought up how the other teacher had been recognized by a local TV news station, and asked Dee Dee if that mattered at all to her.  She said it didn’t matter.  My wife asked, though I’m sure she knew the answer, “She had chickens in her room, right?”  Dee Dee said she did.  I asked, already knowing the answer, “You got to go in the room pretty often to look at them, right?”  She said that she did.  Then she said that the room smelled worse than the animal barns at the State Fair.  I steered the conversation back to chemistry. 

When Dee Dee came home from school on Monday, she said that the chicken teacher had all of the third graders (both classrooms) follow her to the auditorium.  When they were shown through the door, they found the entire population of the school cheering for them.  The third graders were shown to front row seats.  On the stage was a large, somewhat blurry photo of the chicken teacher sitting with last year’s third graders, the chickens, and the reporter from the TV news channel that recognized her.   

Dee Dee said that as soon as her classmates were in their seats, a boy from her class said, “Look!  Stinky Chickies!”  Apparently, last year the second graders would go to the chicken teacher’s classroom to see the chickens.  At first, they were cute.  But, as they grew, so did their smell.  Dee Dee said that her class would protest having to go to view the chicks by slapping their hands on their desks or on their knees if it was carpet time, and chant “Stinky Chickies!” over and over.  “Stink-y Chick-ies!”  “Stink-y Chick-ies!”  It never got them out of smelling the chickens, but the chant was quite popular. 

On Monday, when the principal introduced the chicken teacher, from the stage, she said that she was happy to say that there would once again be the chicken thing in her room, and all of the students in the school were fortunate to have the chicken teacher because of the chickens, and that perhaps the chicken teacher and the school would be recognized by the TV news station again, or by some other organization.  Dee Dee said that many of the kids from both of the third grade classes were shaking their heads, and a few were saying, “no” out loud.   

The chicken teacher thanked the principal for the introduction.  The principal started to step back, away from the chicken teacher, but realized that she was holding the microphone that she was supposed to give to the chicken teacher.  The principal stepped forward and held out the mic to the chicken teacher, who didn’t see the principal or even realize that there was a microphone being handed to her.  The chicken teacher, looking out at all of the students smiled and raised her hands over her head in triumph.  In doing so, she knocked the microphone out of the principal’s hand and sent it flying.  When it landed it slid under a curtain, crackled loudly and then started to feeding back.  Dee Dee said that some of the students tried to imitate the squeal of the speakers while a confused chicken teacher apologized to the principal.  Eventually, Dee Dee’s teacher stepped up on the stage, picked up the mic cord and pulled the microphone to himself across the uneven planks of the wooden floor of the stage.  Then he handed it to the chicken teacher and then walked back down to where Dee Dee’s class was sitting. 

Chicken Teacher’s voice crackled through the microphone, “Well, is everyone excited?!”  Dee Dee said that some kids said “no” or giggled, while others started chanting, “Skink-y Chick-ies!”  Chicken Teacher, realizing that there was a mutiny made an announcement into the microphone about how the chickens were for everyone in the school to enjoy.  But, instead of hearing, “These chickens are for everybody!” the kids heard, “these chicks. . .for ever!”  Apparently, something had been broken when the microphone hit the stage floor or was dragged across it.  She tried again, but all the kids heard was, “For Ever!”  Now, along with the third graders chanting, giggling, and gagging, the rest of the kids in the auditorium started to laugh and make chicken noises. 

Chicken Teacher blew into the mic to see if it was working.  The mic was working just fine and the noise of blowing into the mic rumbled the auditorium speakers.  The principal stepped quickly towards Chicken Teacher and reached out to take the microphone away from her.  As she did, Chicken Teacher shrugged her shoulders and swung her arms up and over and off to her sides, into a palms-up gesture.  The principal plucked the microphone from Chicken Teacher’s hand and stepped in front of her.  She started to wrap up the event, but the microphone was completely dead.   

Dee Dee said that the principal shouted to the teachers that it was time to go back to the classrooms.  The little kids (including Audio), who were sitting right behind the third graders got up and left when they were told to.  But, the rest of the students, second through fifth grade, were all goofing off and ignoring the teachers.  Dee Dee thought it was funny for a while.  But, then she and a couple other girls went to their teacher, interrupted his efforts to get a boy out from underneath his seat, and asked if they could go back to the classroom to read.  The teacher said that they could, so Dee Dee went back to the room and read a book about insects.