One teacha asked me if I wanted fo be his teacha’s aide fo Biology class.
My classmates said was good fo be one teacha’s aide
cuz you just help and das it.
Not like you one student in class and gotta do class work.
Was my senior year and I had most of da credits fo graduate
so I decided fo be his teacha’s aide.

I ran errands fo him and did stuffs like enter grades into his grade book.
Layda on, he told me dat dea was going be one teacha fo replace him
cuz he got one nodda job.

Da new teacha was one lady who look like she just graduated college.
One day, she brought one glass tank wit white mice inside.
She had to leave fo get someting, and I was in charge of da class.

Everybody was studying, so I looked inside da tank.
I saw one mouse go by da odda mouse.
Look like da mouse was pulling off da odda mouse’s hairs.
I dunno if dis normal. I wanted da pulling fo stop,
so I started poking da mouse wit one stick.
Da mouse neva stop, so I kept poking um.

Everybody gathered around da tank.
Layda, da mouse finally stopped pulling.
I was still holding da stick.
I shoulda told everybody fo go back to dea desks, but I neva.
I wanted fo make sure da mouse neva pick on da odda mouse again.
I kept poking.
Da mouse’s head started fo twitch.

Wen da teacha came back, everybody went back to dea desks.
She asked da class wat happened.
Everybody looked at me and neva say nothing.

She started da lesson as I looked inside da tank.
Why da mouse gotta keep twitching laidat?
I hoped da mouse would stop twitching next class
but it neva.

Every class, I look da tank and wish I neva do wat I did.
Da teacha saw da mouse,
and I no can look her in da eye
wen she asked me wat happened.

—Ann Inoshita