I solemnly swear...

We're doing a unit on animals.

Our resident mannequin has 'borrowed' some stuffed snakes from Jennifer.* They're casually draped around her neck. She doesn't seem nervous about her Ophidian necklace, either. She just... stands there.

Jennifer offered to bring them in, was very excited to share them with everyone, and tells people several times daily that they're hers.

She's proud to be sharing them, but feeling a little possessive, too.
It's really a big step for her to share something that's hers.

She introduced them to me this afternoon, telling me that I could touch them, but 'not very much.' And that none of the other staff was supposed to touch them unless she said so.
And none of the kids.

Since it was important to her, I touched each one and commented on their appearances.
Asked their names.

For a girl with the huge imagination she has, the names were sort of unexpected. I thought she'd come up with something totally off the wall.
Extravagant and showy.
But no.
One was 'Stripey' and one was 'Bluey'.

::snort::

When her mom came to get her this afternoon, she hesitated at the door.

"What's wrong, Jennifer?"

"I just want to take my snakes home."

"Well you can take them if you want, Hon, they're yours."

"Oh, but we're still going to study animals this week, aren't we?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean your snakes have to be here. We have plenty of stuff. If you want to take them home, go ahead."

She took a couple steps toward the door.
Came back.

Looked seriously at me.

"Do you promise," she said sternly, "to set the alarm on the building when you leave tonight?"

I did not laugh.
I didn't even smile.

I answered her question, matching my tone to her seriousness.

"It's my responsibility to set the alarm when I leave every evening, Jennifer. It's the last thing I do before I walk out the door. I will make sure I do it tonight, too."

"Good." she said, "I don't want anyone to steal Stripey and Bluey."

You know, we spend a lot of taxpayer money on the school system, sometimes with indifferent or abysmal results for our cash.

But the alarm system that is providing peace of mind for our Jennifer tonight is worth every cent. :)