The Lion Drop

Mr. Yet-to-be-Officially-Named atop the blogger's father's truck, awaiting his Homecoming Parade Debut.

Last week was Homecoming week here in our little district, and that has big meaning here in football country.

In my middle school reading classroom however, it was pretty much business as usual aside from the wacky dress up days and trying to keep track of whatever odd schedule was running for different activities...nothing I can't handle after seven years in the district.

Crazy Pirate dress up days gone terribly bad?

Do these people really work for the district?

But in the middle of the week, in the middle of teaching seventh graders how to begin blogging, a friend dropped by and delivered the largest stuffed animal lion I've ever seen. I mean, it's the kind of plush toy kids ogle at F.A.O. Schwarz at Christmastime, sized so that it takes at least 3 people to haul him anywhere.

Now I should back up and tell you that I am the Leo Club advisor, a junior group to the community-service oriented Lions Club. And we were in desperate need of a cool float in time for the Homecoming Parade. So those two points help the lion-drop story make a little more sense.

However, there's a little issue about where to store the beast. Put that problem to a bunch of middle school students, and they of course cry, "Keep him here! Let him stay!"

So, he's staying. The giant feline is now permanently installed atop a tall cabinet in my room, and we've moved on to the challenge of finding him a suitable name. I've already propped up a book in between his massive paws, because it's common knowledge that if you're going to stay in my classroom for any length of time, you'd better pick up a book at some point. Jerry Pinkney's The Lion and the Mouse seemed like a good idea.

He's grown on me. I appreciate the way he changes the space in the classroom into something different. My students love him. And he did a good job for us in the parade from the top of my dad's truck: I've received more requests to join the Leo Club than ever before. There is also a lot of good natured arguing about his name. All the obvious ones like Leo and Simba have been shot down, but there's an influential group of readers advocating for Aslan. We'll see. I think there's a club fundraiser hiding in his naming rites somewhere.

My seventh graders may try to tell you some far-fetched story about a very one-sided argument I may have had with him.

I guess if you're going to be interrupted during class, a lion-drop is the way to go.

Check back here soon to find out about his official name and the adventures of this year's Leos.