The Reluctant Student.
Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonian.
Author's note: This chapter occurred to me while on vacation. I also have Rama making fun of Canadians in this chapter, don't be too offended- I am Canadian after all- and my views and Rama's are not the same! But if we Canadians can't laugh at ourselves we have no right to laugh at anyone else! Ramica.
Chapter Three – Moose. Meese.
Don finished preparing his next lesson for Ramiela, the last few hours Karena had taken the young turtle child for her reading and writing lessons, giving Don a much needed chance to relax after the morning difficulties of trying to teach Rama.
Usually by the time Karena took over Don was more then ready to have a chance to calm down and refocus his thoughts. Today Don had decided that he would switch the science lesson from last lesson to now in hopes of maintaining Rama's interest on her studies.
The last few days Don had been teaching Rama about various animals that could be found in the world. It was a subject, surprisingly enough, that seemed to hold his niece's attention. She had certainly stayed far more focused and asked numerous questions that actually related to the subject at hand.
Don took that to be a very promising sign but then again any subject that held Rama's interest always showed some sort of promise to Don.
Rama now came skipping into the classroom she eyed her Uncle at his desk, " Aunty Karena teaches me how to write animal names." Rama announced cheerfully, " I gots a perfect on my test too."
" Really?" Don asked as he looked at the child, and arched his eye ridge. Rama always seemed to do exceptional work for her favourite Aunt. Don and Karena worked together to keep lessons closely connected when they could, so Karenas lesson of writing animal names fit in with the science subject.
Rama beamed giving a wide grin " She teaches me the bestest stuff." She informed her uncle daring to stick her tongue out at him quickly before returning to her smile.
Don sighed inwardly as he realized Rama was all ready set to start off causing problems and allowing herself to become distracted. He scowled a bit at that idea.
" I'm glad Karena took time to teach you more about your animal names because I decided that we are going study some members of the deer family in Science and I figured we could do it right now." Don informed her kindly.
Rama's smile grew wider as she heard this news, she scurried over to the side of the room and collected the book she would need for her lesson then went back to her seat. She sat down placing her books in front of her and, her right hand holding a pen as she glanced attentively towards her Uncle.
Don grinned himself as he saw his student prepare for her lesson, ' This doesn't seem to be such a bad idea after all.' He mused.
" Now deer family happen to fall under the family cervidae." Don began as he turned and wrote the family scientific name on the black board.
" Uncle Donatello?" Rama asked suddenly.
" Yes?" Don replied as he turned to look at her.
" Are you gonna teach about all kinds of deer?" Rama wondered curiously.
" That is the idea Ramiela I have a few members at least that we will be discussing."
Rama squirmed slightly in her seat " Includin' Reindeer like Santa has?"
" Well reindeer are real animals, however they don't fly." Don explained.
" Except for Santa's." Rama concluded.
Don tried his best to keep a straight face, he knew Rama believed in Santa so he mumbled a slight agreement instead of disillusioning the child. " Now deer happen to eat grass and twigs off of trees so they are considered what?" Don asked.
Rama scowled her brow furrowing slightly " A herbievore." She said quickly as the answer came to her.
Don nodded " A herbivore yes." Don had taught Rama about the herbivore, carnivore, omnivore back when they had started the lesson in animals.
" Now this animal lives in swampy areas in deciduous forest for the most part, living in the Northern areas of North America, which means they mostly live in Canada and Alaska." Don explained. " Though at one time they were found in many places throughout the U.S."
Rama made a face and started to giggle " Can-a-duh? What kind of place is that?" She bent over her desk laughing uncontrollably " Idiots in a can is that possible? Can of duh!" Rama chortled as she pulled on a truly idiotic expression onto her face.
Don groaned as he rolled his eyes skyward, he realized that he had somehow lost her, even with her interest in animals, simply because she had found amusement in the name. That was part of Ramiela's problem in any lesson. She could hear an ordinary word and find amusement in it, twisting it, into something else entirely and trying to get things way off track by doing so.
Don's features grew hard and stern " Ramiela!" he barked quickly, " That is quite enough Canada happens to be a country that happens to be North of our own Country."
Rama clamped her hands over her mouth as she continued to laugh " I sorry, it just sooooo funny." She managed to sputter out between her chuckles.
" I am sure you will continue to find amusement in it when you end up writing a five hundred word essay on Canada tonight." Don commented sharply.
Rama gulped and got herself under control muttering under her breath " It not my fault that country pick a stupid name for themselves."
Don heard her grumbled complaint " Make that six hundred. After all you may laugh at them and they may very well laugh at us, but it is important to be tolerant of all people." Don insisted, " Now this isn't suppose to be geography but science." He reminded her tactfully.
" Now alces alces happens to be the largest member of the deer family. It can weigh up to eight hundred kilograms ( approx 1,000-1600 pounds.). And antlers that normally range between one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty centimetres.( Approx. 70 inches according to websites in American numbers. I wasn't going figure out the difference from metric myself. )" Don instructed he picked up a sheet of paper off his desk and brought it over to Ramiela's desk. " the Alaskan Moose is Alces gigas."
" That deer got to be huge!" Rama realized those numbers her uncle had given had seemed highly impressive to her at any rate.
" The moose is a very large animal, it is a strong swimmer able to swim at about six miles per hour, has bad eyesight and has been known to be a bit bad tempered." Don stated as he handed Rama a picture of the moose with certain facts written on the paper under the coloured picture. " In fact moose have been known to charge, cars, houses, people and trains."
Rama jerked her head back as she stared at the beast in the picture, a long ugly nose, a hump over its shoulders, a slight sloped back and long legs. The creature didn't look any thing even close to a deer, at least not as far as she was concerned. " If I looked like that I'd be pretty mad too!" Rama said.
Don tried not to laugh at her simple statement, he fought to control the smile that wanted to spread across his face, as he continued on with his instructions " To the Algonquin Natives the Moose is known as mong-soa or mongswa meaning twig eater." Don explained.
Rama still looked at the picture, no matter how she turned the paper, or what angle she looked at the moose it was still a pretty ugly creature looking more like it was made of spare parts then any thing. " Canadians have a funny country and funny deer." She declared after screwing up her face a bit.
Don groaned, " Ramiela are you even paying attention?" he asked in slight exasperation.
Rama looked up at Don. " No" she answered honestly, " You said we was gonna learn about deer Uncle Donatello, not some ugly creature."
Don shook his head wearily, though he had to give her a certain amount of credit for her truthfulness. " The moose is still a member of the deer family Ramiela" Don replied, " Now try to pay attention." He coaxed. " A herd of moose…"
" Sure I heard of moose. Don't wanna though, but you keep telling me about em." Rama pointed out.
" Ramiela many animals when they get in groups are known as a herd." Don corrected. " So moose can on occasion be found in small herds of a few cows and their calves."
" If they in groups they are mooses." Rama interjected quickly.
Don arched an eye ridge " Pardon?"
Rama sighed and rolled her eyes " One moose. Two mooses. If you see a small herd then you see mooses." She informed her uncle of this basic rule of thumb.
Don shook his head " You have that wrong Rama the plural form of moose is moose. So no matter how many moose you have the correct word is always moose." Don explained.
" No way! No how! You can't possibly get me to believe that Uncle Donatello." Rama declared she crossed her arms over her plastron giving Don her stubborn look.
" Look Ramiela I know Karena has taught you the basic rules of English where plurals are concerned."
" Rama sat back in her seat agreed " I know those rules all right. That is why you cant's tell me that two mooses are moose."
Don leaned against his desk rubbing his chin with one hand " Then why don't you tell me what those rules are?" He finally asked.
" Well in some areas you add just an s, like in cows or horses, cats, or dogs." Rama explained cheekily.
" That is very good. What about wolf or leaf?" Don queried.
" Then you drop f and add ves so it is wolves. A pack of wolves." Rama responded.
" Yes that is right." Don agreed.
" But there is no f in moose so it can't be moosves. That not following the rule," Rama stated in a matter of fact way, " But those rules get real funny. Maybe those funny Canadians made the rules cause sometimes those rules makes no sense whatsoever."
Don smiled slightly " How so Ramiela? Are you able to tell me that?" He asked humouring his niece. He knew for a fact she would tell him whether he wanted to hear it or not.
" Well if you have more then one house it is houses. Right?"
" Correct." Don admitted waiting for her to continue he even gestured her to do sowith one hand.
" But a mouse becomes mice. Don't know quite how that works but Aunty Karena say it so." Rama hastened to assure her Uncle of this bizarre rule. " Just likes if you got more then one goose you have geese."
" Very good. You obviously know your rules well, and there is one more rule on plurals which is?" Don hinted as he watched Rama patiently for a reply.
Silently he wished that Rama would apply herself to remember his lessons the way she remembered Karena's lessons.
Rama beamed suddenly " I gots it the plural of moose cant's be mooses."
Don cast a grateful look to the ceiling " Finally!" he whispered.
" If one goose becomes geese. Then moose has to be meese!" Rama yelled raising her hands in the air in pure triumph as she corrected her earlier punctuation. She knew now she had it right.
" Ramiela there is the rule that some plurals you add nothing to the word. So the single word and the plural remain the same." Don insisted firmly.
" Uh-uh Uncle Donatello. You can't just go and change rules like that" Rama declared sharply, " And I don't remember that rule. I think you just made it up." Rama informed him as she returned her arms to the cross position over her plastron.
" Ramiela…" Don began.
Rama ignored him as she shook her head violently in a negative fashion " Don't you even try tricking me cause I knows better a herd of moose is meese." She gave her Uncle a haughty all knowing expression.
Don grimaced groaning wearily, " Ramiela you are wrong about meese there is no such word." He remarked trying to keep the irritation out of his tone.
Rama gave her Uncle a hard stare " One goose happens to become geese when you add another goose right?" She spoke slowly as if to help her Uncle to grasp this rather difficult concept.
" Yes Ramiela but two moose are…"
Rama rolled her eyes and smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead slightly " Obviously meese" Rama interjected firmly, " Are you sure your not Canadian Uncle Donatello?"
" I am sure of the fact that your meese word doesn't even exist." Don replied narrowing his eyes at his niece and gritting his teeth.
" Can't ignore those rules," Rama pointed out " So it has to be one moose two meese." She held up first one then two fingers as she repeated her statement.
Don could feel the start of yet another headache coming on as he wondered how he ever got himself into these situations to begin with.
" Ramiela it happens to be moose no matter what." Don said. He knew though that Rama, even in her foolishness was offering some logic to her dispute for her imaginary word of meese.
Rama laughed " Sure if your Canadian maybe but I know it is meese." She insisted refusing to give ground on that area.
Don sighed as he realized that this was going to be another long day with his reluctant student. He decided then and there to get Karena to convince Rama about the plural form of moose and to continue the lesson by moving on to some other deer like Elk. Or Deer themselves anything but those confounded difficult moose.
He glared at his niece, she might be a turtle but she could be as stubborn as a herd of moose.
The End?
Reinbeauchaser: Don really shouldn't go curseving around Rama. It just isn't right. Personally I had a lot of fun writing both chapter two and three as well. I must admit I am glad the turtles aren't real or I know Don would be hunting me down to give me a hard lesson in bojitsu, for all this torture. A gratitude for your insight.
Lenni- yeah, Rama like Mike tries very hard to make her day just a little bit brighter and fun. Don might end up laughing more if only he could get his student's interest. Poor Don he always seems to get the worst of Rama's behaviour, but it makes for fun chapters. A gratitude for your insight.
Danceingfae: Home schooling has quite a few advantages but I'm sure Don would gladly send Rama off to public school if only he could. Children like Rama make teaching difficult for any teacher. I really feel for teachers who must deal with the Ramas of the world. A gratitude for your insight.