We were on lunch break during day five? six? of curriculum work at the central office, and a few of us had driven to Frank’s for sandwiches and butter tarts. I chatted outside with a friend while the others waited inside for their sandwiches to be ready.
Even on break we were talking pedagogy and learning and teaching when suddenly I paused and said, “Sorry, wait a second,” and she said, “What?” and turned to look where I was looking.
“I think that’s a rabbit in a tree.” I blinked my eyes several times and squinted, as if that would somehow make things more clear.
My companion freely admitted that she could only see a black smudge in the tree because she was not wearing her glasses, but even so, it looked like a rabbit. I stared. She stared. She said, “Oh, the poor rabbit! I wonder how it got up there?”
“It can’t be a rabbit,” I shook my head again. “I mean… it can’t be. Rabbits do not live in trees.” This statement seemed unarguable.
A breeze came and the rabbit’s ear twitched. Its little head moved side to side. The poor rabbit!
In the parking lot, some garbage collectors continued their work. Closer to us, a guy in an orange construction vest leaned against the wall and took a drag on his cigarette. No one but us seemed to see the rabbit.
Surreptitiously, I moved closer to the tree. I stared. And stared.
“It’s a nest!” I crowed. “With a feather sticking up!” The breeze picked up again. The feather/ear swayed. I giggled.
Just then, another teacher arrived with her sandwich. “What are you looking at?” she asked.
“Oh,” I said nonchalantly. “It’s just a rabbit. In a tree.”
The elusive tree-rabbit – a very rare sighting.
Persistence and Pedagogy 
My daughter was beside me as I read this and she said, “Is that a rabbit in that tree?” 🙂
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Well thank goodness it wasn’t just me!
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You were very lucky to not only see that elusive tree rabbit but also get its picture. I would do a double take as well because that sure looks like a rabbit. Hope you keep the picture as a writing prompt for you students.
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I love the idea of a rabbit in a tree, fearlessly evolving new survival skills to cope with the danger in its environment.
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It does look like a rabbit and I was right there with you. Adi keeps telling us about a baby rabbit they saw at school that climbed a wall… so I thought maybe rabbits had this climbing ability I never knew about. Good thing your eyes were open. You never know what you will see.
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🐰💕🐇
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This was fun to read. You kept me wondering throughout the post. A rabbit tree – here’s an image hard to get out of the head.
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I loved reading this post! It’s a reminder to respect and appreciate the wonder and mystery that surrounds us. And now, I’m thinking about all the stories that could be told about a rabbit in a tree.
Maybe my kiddos could craft a story that ends with the line, “…and for all I know, the rabbit is up there still…”
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Totally looks like a rabbit in that tree!
BTW: I’m off to google BUTTER TARTS. That sounds ridiculously good.
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