Wanderer

The ants are doing well in the classroom. They have even gone back to work in the tunnels. I was surprised this morning when I took a good look at the habitat. There were two almost complete tunnel shortcuts, each just a centimeter or two from intersecting with another tunnel. Once again, I admired their handiwork, the practicality and fragility of it, the great effort they put into constructing the elaborate tunnels, and the shortness of their life.

Our Science Resource teacher has caught “the bug,” too. She bought an Ant Factory last week, and can’t wait to order the ants. Her habitat comes with sand. I saw her reading over the instruction guide today in between all the other things she has to do to get her classroom organized and materials sorted.

That makes three of us with ant habitats in our classrooms now. Our custodian must be laughing at us, though, because he can remember last year when we had to call him to get rid of the ants in our rooms. They were tiny black ants that marched along the floor in a long line from somewhere in a wall or floor. They were pests, an unsightly inconvenience. The habitat ants we have now are not pests. They are harvester ants from another state, and are selected for their larger size, their incredible mandibles. and particularly for their best talent, tunneling, which they do with gusto. They will actually have another job to do besides tunnel: they will be teachers. The ants will model and demonstrate how they tunnel and communicate, and the students will learn important observation and writing skills.

Speaking of students and teachers, tomorrow is Open House at our school. Parents will come by and meet their children’s teachers between 2:30 and 4:30. The teachers are busy getting their bulletin boards completed, desks and chairs in place, books and folders out where they can be seen, and all the other little details that make for an inviting environment. Those that have their classrooms ready are working on their first week’s activities and lessons, wanting to get ahead, knowing that the unexpected always happens. We’re great and getting greater!