Mrs. Mary Griminsky’s Grade 3 class was known to have some of the most unique characters in the Parkside Elementary School. There was Amy who sang all the time and never seemed down or discouraged. Robert was so good at math that the teacher asked him how to solve some math problems. Ralph was miserable and negative about everything. Scott and Carol were the most competitive and were excellent at most sports. Dennis was reflective and thoughtful and understood the meaning behind stories. His friend Elizabeth (called Beth) was a great idea person.
The key to the craft cupboard was the one thing that Mrs. Griminsky guarded carefully. Inside the cupboard were all kinds of desirable objects: construction paper, scissors, glue, markers, crayons, pencil crayons (also called coloured pencils), sparkles, oil paints, drawing paper, and more!
But on Tuesday morning, around 10:45 AM, the key went missing.
That’s when the Grade 3 teacher couldn’t find it in her special place, on a hook higher than any child could reach, and no one in the class could or would say where it was. Amy suggested that they simply get the janitor to remove the door so they could get at the craft material. Robert said, “The probability that Mrs. Griminsky set it down someplace and forgot it is 1 in 1000.” Ralph cried, “Now we’;; never have art again.” Scott bet Carol he could find it first and Carol announced she would locate it before Scott.
Meanwhile, Dennis observed that this a serious matter which would take some analysis to figure out, and Beth came up with some start-up suggestions like, “Everybody look around your desk and inside,” “Check on the floor under the hook where it usually hangs” and “Maybe its inside the cupboard.”
Mrs. Griminsky was thinking that one of the kids must have moved a chair to the spot, climbed up, and got the key, then stuffed the key in a pocket when she returned to the classroom. But she didn’t want to accuse anyone. Instead, she asked the class, “If anyone here took the key, please see me privately after class.”
The day wound to an end and the class got along without the items in the supply cupboard. At 3:40 the final bell rang and everyone went home. The case of the missing key remained unsolved.
At 10:30 that night Mrs. Griminsky received the following email from Donna Standish, Principal of Parkside Elementary: “Hi Mary – I forgot to let you know that I borrowed the key to your cupboard last night after you left, then forgot to return it – just found it in my pocket tonight. Sorry to leave you without access to your supplies – see me in the morning. Thanks, Donna.”
~ Case Closed ~
Abundant Living 