The late Queen Anne visits my First Grade classroom and much hubbub ensues.

In my class I like to have a lot of fun.  I dress up and create new characters with different voices to keep the attention of the students while we do a bit of writing together.  Lately, I have thus created "Halloween Dude", a ruffian with a long black wig, giant sunglasses and a coarse voice.  Halloween Dude's job is to select one student in the classroom to sit in front of the room and share with us what he or she is going to be for Halloween.  Such was the case today - what I thought was going to be just another run of the mill Halloween Dude day.  I was wrong.

Today I selected a semi-quiet and very well behaved girl to be "Halloween Dude-ette".  I shall call her "Sarah" for the sake of the story.  She was thrilled that she was finally chosen to share her planned costume with the class.  She eagerly sat in front of the students and I proceeded to question her about what she had prepared for that fateful day.  - I also feel compelled to share the fact that I had not one, not two, but three college students preparing to become teachers, observing me this day.  How I got three student teachers is a bit of a long story ...but I digress.

Between my obnoxious acting, the horrible wig and what transpired, I guarantee that these student teachers were entertained far more than they ever would have hoped.  The conversation between I, the girl and the class went something like this:

ME: [In a very rustic, almost drunken voice, much like a reformed pirate would talk, but without the pirate jargon.]  Okay Sarah, would you please share what you would like to be for Halloween?

SARAH:  I am going to be a queen.

ME: Really?  Wow, you will be a lovely queen.

S: Well, I am kinda going to be a scary queen.

M:  Oh really.  Why?

S:  Well, I am going to be Queen Anne.

M:  Queen Anne?  I am not sure who she is.

S:  Oh, she died in 1836 (Not really sure what the date was that she said, but Sarah clearly hadt this schtick memorized.)

M:  Oh really?

S: Yeah, she was beheaded.  

M: Ohhhhh.  Umm alright.  Sounds scary!  Okay, so Queen Anne you say.

The three student teachers are now all giggling quite uncontrollably in the back.

STUDENT SITTING ON THE RUG: WHAT DOES BEHEADED MEAN?

ME:  Oh, that just means she died.

SARAH: YEAH, SHE DIED -  BY GETTING HER HEAD CHOPPED OFF!

ALL STUDENTS:  EWWWW!  GROSS!  YUCK!  etc, etc...

ME: Alright, let's calm down.  We have some writing to do.

The three student teachers are now all in full laughter mode.

SARAH:  Well, I won't have my head cut off for the school parade, but when I go trick-or-treating, my mom is going to paint a line and some blood on my neck.

STUDENTS:  EWWW!  ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO HAVE YOUR HEAD CUT OFF?!  GROSS etc, etc...

ME:  [Still trying to hold character in my Halloween Dude wig and voice.]  Alright, enough everyone.  We need to get this written down!  I still have never heard of this Queen, but let's write this down.  Let's see, Queen starts with what letter everyone... ?  

[Looking back, I really should know who Queen Anne is.  I did take High School World History, but slept through much of it.]

SARAH: She was married to King Henry.  He had someone behead her.  

STUDENTS:  EWWWW!

ME:  Sarah, thank you for telling us about Queen Anne.  Can you tell us why you want to be her for Halloween so that we can write it down and be done with it?

SARAH:  She is really cute.

ME: Alright, let's focus on that.  

-  We then completed the interactive writing, focussing on the cuteness, not the beheadedness of Queen Anne.  Needless to say, the student teachers may never observe a more entertaining session of teaching in their lifetimes.  I am glad my very odd class this year could provide them with that.