Remember when we were all together and were able to share spaces? With our new way of working in pods, we’ve had to learn how to bridge our curriculum and the note writing, the treasure hunts, and the love connections through transparent walls sparked a whole new lens. We learned to shift our thinking and focused on our gains in our times of loss and it has done us well.
Which brings us to the turtles. We all had a relationship with them. The big tank in the WW Cilantro pod once housed three turtles and from the beginning. . . almost 10 years now!. . .they became our “transitional object”. Over the years, the turtles and children bonded over quiet moments of much-needed calm.
Cody and Squirt have their own powerful story to tell (more on that later) and this week, we shared another chapter with the children.
As it turns out, when males mature they should not share a tank. Cody suffered some injuries and was taken to the Reptile Veterinarian at the Emergency Room at VCA in West La on Tuesday this week. His Dr.s took good care of him and we brought him home to school on Wednesday. Overnight, at Teacher Cindy’s house, he was kept warm and cozy but he didn’t like his feeding tube so back to the vet he went on Thursday morning.
His tube was removed and we are embracing our responsibility to his health by learning how to administer shots so that he can get his antibiotics. We are getting him his own tank and if all goes well and as planned, he will live in the East Wing by the Plexiglass wall so both the Basils and Aloes can reunite and keep watch. This weekend, Teacher Cindy and her family will continue to support his recovery. The teachers and I will do the weekdays, and his original owner and our former teacher, Paola Cervantes, will take care of him over Spring Break. We will be working with our schedules over the weekends for months to keep his healing on track.
All this to tell you that you may hear of a missing turtle, an injured turtle, or a new turtle coming to the East Wing! Let me know if you want to extend your love of animals to weekend visits to school in order to feed and care for Cody. He is a well loved classroom member with over 10 years of preschool fans. – Kristin
