A Rabbit and a Tree

When I was a new teacher in southern California, I had a dwarf rabbit named Cinnamon as a pet in my fifth grade classroom. Cinnamon would live at school during the winter, but in the summer, she would live in a glorious shade tree in the backyard. The rabbit cage was a perfect fit for the crotch of the tree. In the evenings, my husband and I would enjoy the luxurious coolness in the shade of that tree, and we would unlatch the rabbit cage. Cinnamon would leap to the ground, bound across the grass to feast on clover and fallen rose petals. She felt comfortable back in the tree as well and would often investigate the trunk and huge branches, stopping on one to stretch out, relax and look down on the world. At twilight, one of us would tap the cage to signal lights out. Cinnamon would lope to the tree, scamper up and into her cage for the night.

Tamra Plaga, Education Focus Group