I taught sixth grade at Burton the first year I was in the Vashon School District. I had had very little experience with sixth grade students, so I was unprepared when the youngsters pulled a trick on me. The class was an interesting group, and I felt I had a good rapport with them.

It happened in the spring during the first warm day after a spell of wet weather. The kids were restless. In the middle of the morning of this bright April day, the class as one body rose out of their seats yelling “Jail break! Jail break!" and every one of them ran outside. Every seat was emptied quickly.

Dumbfounded, I followed them, only to find they had run down the ramp at the south end onto the playfield. They didn’t stop until they reached the baseball backstop where they milled around together, laughing and slapping each other on the back. I called to them and motioned them to come back inside, but they ignored me.

The only thing left to do was to ask Mr. May, the principal, to bring them in. He agreed and told me to go inside. I returned to my desk, took out material, and busied myself with planning. When the class came inside, I kept a straight face and did not speak to them. I put an assignment on the blackboard.

The students dutifully went to their seats, took out their books, and set to work. Soon the recess bell rang, but I did not raise my head to indicate a dismissal. I pointed to the assignment on the blackboard. Quietly work got underway.

I stood, walked out the door into the hall, taking some of my work with me. A few of the youngsters watched me but the rest of them kept on working. I turned to the window, part of the door, and scotch-taped up a sheet of paper. On it I had written, “APRIL FOOL."

A roar of laughter filled the room and the students rushed out for the rest of their recess.

There were two surprises that April morning and I doubt if anyone ever forgot them. When I meet some of the kids these days, years afterward, they remind me of the event. It was an event to remember.

Joyce Delbridge has published three anthologies of stories about riding Northwest ferries. She has also written and had published a fiction book for preteens titled, "Abandoned At Juniper Bay". She lives in Daystar Retirement Village in West Seattle.