black turtles

I once had a student that would randomly put his head inside his shirt. I have no idea why he would do this or what triggered this strange behavior but it was oddly hilarious that is for sure. (I guess it is not too dissimilar from students hiding in their desks which is much more common, but this was definitely more eccentric behavior.) Eventually I started telling him to stop acting like a turtle. After telling this student to take his head out of his shirt and "Stop acting like a turtle and join us, please!" One of his classmates responded, "Mrs. Freeman, haven't you ever heard of the Black Turtles? They are much more peaceful than the Black Panthers." I had no idea that he was making a civil rights statement. You can't make this stuff up.

The Black Turtle did not like being photographed in his natural habitat.