I just want you to know that "You have a friend in your classroom."

On Monday, August 2nd, I went to my classroom to get my hot glue gun. My room was locked so a custodian had to come unlock it for me. As she left, she told me that she wanted to warn me because I had a friend in my room. I was very confused until she then went and got a small plastic organizational container that I had in the room to show me what she meant. She brought over the container and I realized that it was missing some of the lid and there were teeth marks all over it.

Come to find out, there was a mouse or rat in my room and had chewed through the edge corners of my container to get inside where there was bags of popcorn (in plastic still) and some crackers. So, I realized I would have a little more work to do in the classroom to clean up and out some stuff so the "friend" didn't return. I found a large plastic pickle bucket and began to empty the contents of the plastic container into the large empty pickle bucket. I then realized that I had 2 large bags of pretzels that appeared as if someone had taken a sharp knife and sliced a perfect straight line down the front of each bag. There were pretzels all over inside a box, outside a box along the wall, as well as pretzel crumbs on top of many files I had inside a different box without a lid. I picked each pretzel bag up carefully one at a time and placed them into the pickle bucket. I had quite a few random pretzels that I needed to clean up as well.

After everything was cleaned up and out, I proceeded to place the lid on the bucket. The bucket lid was one where you need to put all your body weight into it in order to latch the lid onto the bucket. I picked up a box I needed to take home to clean out and then placed the handle of the pickle bucket through my left arm and proceeded to walk out of my classroom. It was very heavy and I was having a hard time carrying all of this down the hallway, then stairs, then many more hallways to the front door and then to my car.

Well, halfway down the stairs I thought I heard something inside the bucket but figured it was just the bucket hitting my leg from wabbling down the stairs. I continued and every minute, I began hearing a noise and something wrestling around inside this pickle bucket that I was carrying at my side. I soon realized I was not crazy and imagining things. I realized the rat/mouse must be inside the bucket!!!! The bucket was empty when I began to fill it so how did this rat get in there? I still do not know how it got in there, but I assume it was..... inside one of the bags of pretzels that I picked up with both hands and placed inside the bucket.

I was so grossed out and laughing hysterically at the same time. I found the custodians and explained to them that my little "friend" from my classroom is now in the bucket in front of them. They began to freak out as well and offered to take it off my hands and take it to the dumpster for me, which I of course allowed them to do so.

I am not sure to this day, if they opened the lid and threw it all inside the dumpster or just threw the entire bucket inside. But I am glad that the friend in my classroom is gone.... unless there was more than one, then I have more problems in my near future!