School Time

 

Midge and Booker-T sat on Midge's front porch watching the neighborhood kids walking along the sidewalk with backpacks on the backs and little lunch boxes. Lucy and Jake entered the gate at Midge's house and sat down with them on the porch.

“What are you doing?” asked Lucy.

“We are sitting here watching the kids walking to school,” said Midge.

“Did school start today?” asked Lucy.

“I think today is the first day,” said Jake. “Now it will be quiet at the park when we go to swim in the pond.”

“And little kids who don't go to school yet will be there sometimes to ride the train through the park,” said Midge.

“Do they have schools for animals?” asked Lucy.

“I don't know,” said Booker-T. “Do they have them, Jake?”

“I think they have schools for dogs,” said Midge.

“They do,” said Jake. “I think they are called Obedience Schools.”

“What kind of school is that?” asked Lucy.

“They teach the owners how to discipline their dogs and have them do what the owner says to do,” said Jake.

“What do they teach them to do?” asked Midge.

“I think one of my neighbors, who moved away, put their little dog in Obedience school,” said Jake. “I heard them in the yard a couple times. I think they were practicing.”

“What were they doing?” asked Booker-T.

“She said 'heel' to the little dog a few times,” said Jake.

“What is heel?” asked Midge. “People have heels on their feet. Do we have heels?”

“I don't know,” said Jake. “I think the heel they were doing is different than the heel on the human's feet.”

“What else do you learn in this Obedience School?” asked Lucy. “Anything that we will like.”

“I think it is to teach dogs to do what the humans tell us to do,” said Jake. “I heard my neighbor telling her little dog to sit, lay down, roll over, shake, speak and some other ones that I don't remember.”

“We know how to do that and we never went to this Obedience School,” said Booker-T.

“That's because we are smart,” smiled Midge. “And we watch TV with our owners.”

“Is it fun in Obedience School?” asked Booker-T.

“I don't know,” said Jake.

“I don't think it sounds good,” said Lucy. “I don't want to go to school.”

“Why don't they teach us how to read?” asked Booker-T.

“I can read,” said Jake.

“How did you learn to read?” asked Lucy.

“I think I learned it when my owner's niece was at the house and she was helping the little girl to read,” said Jake. “I listened and sat right there so I learned it too.”

“Can you teach me to read?” asked Midge.

“Maybe,” said Jake.

“Maybe we can sneak into the school where the kids are going and sit in the class with them,” suggested Booker-T.

“I don't think we can sneak in there,” said Midge. “We don't look like kids.”

“Maybe we can dress up to look like kids,” suggested Booker-T.

“I don't think that would work,” laughed Jake. “The kids all have two legs and we have four. The teachers would see that right away.”

“It was worth a try,” said Midge. “Maybe we can dress up and walk in on our two back legs.”

“I don't think that would work,” laughed Jake.

“It might,” said Midge.

“But if the teacher asked you what your name was, how would you answer?” asked Lucy.

“Bark bark,” laughed Midge.

“The humans don't understand what we say,” sighed Booker-T.

“I think we can let Jake teach us hot to read,” said Midge. “He knows how.”

“Will you teach us, Jake?” asked Lucy.

“I can try,” said Jake. “Lets go to my house.”

“We have to go to your house to learn?” asked Booker-T.

“My owner has her niece's reading book at the house,” said Jake.

“Okay,” said Midge. “Lets go.”

They went out the gate and started walking along the sidewalk to Jake's house with plans to learn to read. Midge was excited to learn. From above, Gabby flew down and landed on Jake's head.

“Hi, Gabby,” said Jake. “What are you doing?”

“Where are you guys going?” asked Gabby. “Can I come along with all of you?”

“Sure,” said Midge. “We are going to Jake's house so he can teach us to read.”

“You want to learn how to read?” asked Gabby.

“Sure,” said Midge. “You know how to read.”

“I do know how to read,” smiled Gabby. “I'm a smart bird.”

“Ha ha,” said Lucy. “Yes, you are a smart bird. How did you learn to read?”

“I learned how at school,” smiled Gabby.

“Is there a bird school?” asked Booker-T.

“No,” said Gabby. “I sat in the window of the school were we go to play sometimes.”

“How did you do that?” asked Midge.

“The teachers would leave the windows open and I would find on to sit in,” said Gabby. “When the kids were learning, I was learning too.”

“Wow,” said Booker-T. “That's so cool. “Maybe we can do that.'

“No,” said Jake shaking his head. “Won't work.”

“Why?” asked Midge.

“Because you have to see the words when the teacher is saying them,” said Gabby.

“He's right Midge,” said Jake. “I saw the words that my owner's niece was learning. I think her book is at the house so you can see the words.”

“Have fun,” said Gabby as he flew away.

“We will,” smiled Midge.