An unexpected lesson plan...

Ok, so you probably know that right after I started teaching, my temporary assistant Teresia convinced me that my students were in desperate need of a class pet. She just so happened to have a few baby Guinea pigs at home that she really wanted to get rid of. I thought it would be a GREAT idea...not to mention, it would probably win me some favor in the eyes of my new students. So we agreed, she would give me one of her baby Guineas and I went out and bought everything for it to live a full and happy life in our room as our class pet. So, then she decided she really needed to find a home for two of them and since mine was going to be alone on the weekends it might get lonely...and we can't have a lonely class pet, so I needed two of them. She assured me at the time that she had become an expert on "sexing" Guinea pigs because after 4 children, she had learned her lesson with unexpected reproduction. She provided me with two male Guinea pigs. They were babies at the time. They had only just been weaned. They really were SOOOOO cute and the kids fell in love with them instantly! I continued to ask her to make sure they were both males and she again assured me they were, showing me how to tell by looking at them, and I checked to and agreed, "if that's what a male Guinea pig looks like, they are definitely both males." So, today it has been several months since we took on the precious little furry things and welcomed them into our class. I noticed on Monday morning what looked to be like blood on the bedding of the cage. I was worried they had gotten into a fight and one had gotten hurt but they both looked very healthy, and so my worry ended. As I feed and watered them this morning, I noticed another spot of blood, again I was concerned. I went on about my day. Just before my students went to lunch, they were up walking around the room and one of my girls went to check on the Guinea pigs. Then it happened...she yells...at the TOP of her lungs...MS. HOLLAND...BABIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I said, NOOOOOOO! They are both boys, they can't have babies honey...and just to make sure I checked the cage..."OH, NO, YOU ARE RIGHT...HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN??? BABIES???" I immediately pick up the phone to SCREAM at Teresia for this little gift and make a joke about how GREAT she in fact has proven herself to be at sexing Guinea pigs. So she says, "Well, you have to get the Dad out of there, he could hurt the babies. make sure you know which one is the mom and separate them as soon as you can." I got Dad out right away and put him in a rubbermaid tub while I ran to Wal-mart to buy a new cage. Of course they only had ONE and of course it cost $40. I'm really ready to kill Teresia at this point. So...I go back to school. Set up the new cage and put Dad in there so he can feel at home. He seems to be adjusting pretty well to his new surroundings. Word travels around the school about our little "miracle of life" and they even come to take pictures of our little additions for the yearbook! Everyone agrees, they are pretty cute. Wednesday is an early day for students but not for teachers. So, I walked the kids to the bus at 2:00 and on my way back I stopped by Teresia's room and asked her to come out and see the babies. She came in to the room and we stood and gawked at the cute little things for a few minutes. My assistant was there too, and the teacher next door came in with her daughter. As we are standing there, looking at the "nursery" cage, I look down at "Dad" in his cage...and, then, I see it, something is moving. Something little, white, furry...OH! NO! I literally SCREAM! I look at Teresia...I'm convinced at this point that I have adopted transsexual Guinea pigs!!! We are all in shock. Four GROWN women...screaming at the top of their lungs...HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN...we run through EVERY possibility. Is that the Mom? Did we separate the wrong ones. What is going on? They are both girls, they both gave birth, where's the male? I look around the room panicked and I say, but we've had them for 3 months what is going on...the light bulb FINALLY comes on...They are both female, she gave me TWO pregnant Guinea pigs! I can't believe this...I had 2 this morning...2 boys for that matter, and now I have 5. Feasibly, I could have up to 7 by tomorrow morning! Needless to say, it was a bit of a traumatic day! Here's a picture of "Dad" just after "he" gave birth to our 3rd baby for the day!



and here are the pictures of babies "one" and "two" along with their momma