And their nightmares are my fault

This week my fourth graders are reading a play from our curriculum. The play is about several fairytale characters that come together in a court of law to accuse the Big Bad Wolf.

Yesterday, when I introduced the story, I had to make sure and backtrack to see if everyone knew who The Little Red Riding Hood was and who Little Bo Peep was. As it turns out, only half of my class (that would be two students) knew the Little Red Riding Hood story and no one knew who in the world was Little Bo Peep.

So before we could get to reading the play, I had to tell the story of the Little Red Riding Hood. I sat on my teacher's stool, leaned forward, and must have entranced them with my amazing story telling abilities because after I finished, they clapped! Ha ha!

Next I had to explain who Little Bo Peep was. I pulled up the nursery rhyme on the internet (what did teachers do before the internet!??!) and started telling them all about it.

Except I had forgotten about what happens in this cautionary tale. In fact, I'm not sure I ever knew the actual story in all of its gruesomeness. And before I can even think to censor myself, I'm telling my innocent ten year-olds about how, although Little Bo Peep lost her sheep, she did find their severed tails hanging from a tree. True story.

As you may have guessed, this story didn't get applause.

9 comments:

Jenny said...

Wow. I did not know the entire Bo Peep story. Wow.

Sarah said...

Ack! I guess I've never really read the whole thing either!

Anonymous said...

Makes me hungry for lamb chops...

Anonymous said...

Farm stories are the best...

hannah said...

LOL! Children's stories can be very intense and many times perverse..

Anonymous said...

I had a nightmare last night after reading that.

Sarah Garb said...

I didn't know about that ending either! Not quite like Disney would tell it....Maybe the kids will end up changing the play to put not just the Big Bad Wolf on trial, but whoever it was that did this to Bo Peep's sheep!

Anonymous said...

Oops. dad

Randy et Jan said...

Awful. I think you sometimes felt deprived not growing up with these fairy tales. Now you know I was just protecting you!!! Mom

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