It all started innocently enough when, a few months back, I found myself browsing in a children's bookstore. I caught sight of an adorable otter puppet on the shelf next to two books on otters. Sea otters became one of my favorite animals when I saw them in action at the Monterrey Sea Aquarium years ago, and we have a poster from the aquarium on our bathroom wall. I could not resist buying the puppet and the books. I should have resisted.
An old teacher needs her bag of tricks, her pink bag of tricks in this case. I stuffed "Otto" into my bag one morning on my way to work. The group of Kinder students I was teaching were getting a little noisy and I found myself saying, "Listen you guys, do you hear that noise coming from my pink school bag?" Suddenly they were all quiet, listening for the noise.
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| I step out of my shower at home to be greeted by this. |
"Oh no! I said, as I walked over to my bag and looked in. "Look who jumped into my school bag at home today when I wasn't looking, my pet otter, Otto." I pulled Otto out of the bag, but not before I had put him on my hand. I told the kids Otto was very sensitive to noise and they must have woken him up. Otters, I told the adorable kinders, speak very quietly and Otto whispers in my ear, so I would have to tell them what he was saying.
After this "fun" had gone on for a few minutes one of the kinders called out: "He's not real, Mrs. Baxter." My response was to just roll my eyes as if the statement was absurd. Then a true believer- type child called out: "He is too real, right, Mrs. Baxter?" To that comment I just smiled and batted my eyes with approval.
This was just the beginning! Otto began jumping into my bag everyday, and not just on the days when I taught kindergarden. Now, as I am going down the hallways at the Spanish Immersion School where I spend most of my subbing days, the kids call out, Mrs. Baxter, is Otto here today?" The fifth grade classes told me last week that they wanted to know why Otto did not come to their classes? I said I had no idea that they felt left out and I brought him they next time I subbed in 5th grade. The fifth graders lined up to give Otto a high five as they left for the day.
One of Otto's books tells the story of the California sea otters' battle for survival. One day a first grader asked if it was Otto and his mother on the cover of the non-fiction book. That was all I needed. I said yes, and that Otto's mother met her demise from the pollution, and that is why I now have Otto living at my house. I told the students Otto loves it when I put bath salts in my bath tub for him.
Even little children who visit and take naps at our house like to have Otto close by.
