P is for Poultry

We had a visitor last week. His name is Chicky Chick E. Chickey Chiky.

He was shown to me by my newest student before school started.

Newbie: Ms. Buckler! I brought a chicken to school!
Me: Please tell me it isn't a real chicken in your backpack!
Newbie: He's real! His name is Chicky (spelled Chiky)!
Me: Can I see this chicken please?
Newbie: Sure! (shows me a small, FAKE chick of the Easter decoration variety) He came to school today so he can learn with me.

Now I don't know Newbie that well yet.  (Newbie will be called Newbie just because he came to me after the first day of school.) I do know that there is still a "warming up to" period for all of us. So, I decided to let Chicky hang around with this rule:

Me: If you are playing with Chicky instead of learning and listening, Chicky will have to learn from the comfort of inside your backpack. That goes for your classmates, too. Not a PEEP from Chicky (I make corny jokes because second-graders find them hilarious).
Newbie: Yes ma'am!
Me: Oh and maybe you should read about Junie B. Jones and the peep in her pocket...
Newbie: Er...sure... (I can dream!)

So Newbie got his morning work done faster than normal. During my walking around and checking of work, Newbie calls me over. This is what I saw:

Chicky got his very own desk with his very own eraser seat!
(a la Twiddlebugs you Sesame Street fans!)

If you look veeeerrrry closely, you will see that Chicky got his very own name tag complete with a number line, shapes, and his name C-H-I-K-Y. 

During Reading, a few kids do a little switcheroo between me and Mrs. Barrentine's class. Before Newbie left, he gave his teammates strict instructions to "WATCH CHICKY'S EVERY MOVE".

Princess took this very seriously. During reading centers she was "shh-ed" for saying "STEP AWAY FROM THE CHICKEN!" too loudly.

Later that day, we finished our math lesson and did centers. I asked my darlings to take out their math practice books so we could pull out a page for homework. Page 57 to be exact. Here is what I saw when I got to Newbie/Chiky's desks:

I have NO IDEA where the hat came from! Notice the math book is titled properly. Also, there is a tiny Page 57 inside that we taped to Newbie's homework folder.

At dismissal, I heard conversations about what Chicky will need for tomorrow in order to be "cooler". Little did I know...

Flash forward to the next morning. This is the new and improved Chicky:

Chicky was all bling-ed out with his Mr. T style necklace. He also was prepared for the cooler fall weather with a sock vest. That black jewelry bag? Yeah, that's his drawstring backpack that held Page 57.

Needless to say, I lost my composure. I think I laughed so hard I snorted. If I were drinking my breakfast Pepsi it would have been out of my nose!

At the end of the day, I told Newbie that I am thankful for Chicky's visit, but I think his last day should be Friday. He was okay with that after I promised to read "The Perfect Nest".

Maybe Chicky can come back again in the spring when we read "I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick."