The Spider As Big As A Mouse

My room is really coming together. I have not started just shoving in preparation for Meet the Teacher. I painted, and my friend painted. She painted an ugly green file cabinet a beautiful black.

Of course she had to move it away from the wall to do the painting.

While I was working Friday afternoon Teacher 1 came into my room and said that Teacher 2 needed me. (Names are changed to protect the identity of the people I work with and who control my resource schedule.) 1 said there is a spider in their room.

I know how 2 feels about spiders. It is like how I feel about mice.

So, as I'm walking into their room I say, "OK, where are your tissues?" 2 is up on a chair, and 1 gets up on a chair as well. 2 laughs and says the spider is too big for a tissue. I grabbed 2 tissues anyway and walked toward the spot they said the spider was hiding. 2 says "it is as big as a mouse!"I laughed a bit, but went about my duty to free the room of this "big" spider.

WOW, it was big. It was a wolf spider.

Not so much of a big deal. They are harmless to humans and actually do good by eating smaller spiders and bugs (we have those as well at my school). 1 and 2 were not impressed with my wolf spider knowledge. Last year I captured 4 wolf spiders in my classroom, so I am a pro at this.

I decided that capturing it with the tissues was not smart and got the small recycle bin. Using the tissues I encouraged the wolf to get in the bin (he really was not interested in moving, I think he was trying to nap, but the commotion of 2 screaming had woke him up). He was quite slow (not at all quick like a mouse), but within 15 seconds I had him in the bin. 1 and 2 thought I was taking my time.

This is the part that was not very nice of me... Holding the bin full of mouse-sized wolf spider and walking past 2 to take the innocent spider outside, I may have shook the bin at 2, to be a bit ornery. I smiled, laughed a bit, and she gave me the scream I was looking for.

The spider has a new home just outside the front door of the school (so he may come back in through the cracks).

After I returned the bin our principal came in and wondered what the screaming was about. We told her what happened and she shared stories of other spider tales from the past.

Can't go into that here. More innocent people to protect.

2 and I have a deal. I get the spiders. She gets the mice. She didn't want to make the deal, but gave in so that I would continue to be brave and capture her spiders.