History in the making....

There's been a historic election at my school. For the first time in memory, the Fox has defeated the Bear in the Kindergarten election.

The Kindergarten election takes place every year. We read a little book, titled, aptly, "The Election." In "The Election" both a Fox and a Bear want to be in charge of the forest.

The Fox stands on a ...... box (you were thinking something else?) and says that he will do what's right. Other than this, the Fox doesn't really seem to have a campaign platform. He is vague about his agenda and it is difficult to figure out where he stands on fiscal and social issues. I have a hunch that he does not support same sex marriage, but that is just my instinct. I have never seen his position papers. I do know that the Porcupine is one of his staunchest supporters.

The Bear sits in a ...... chair and listens to the problems of his fellow woodland creatures. He, too, is an enigma. There have been whispers, however, that the bear still supports a single payer health care system. But that could just be rumor.

So, we start our election in Kindergarten by reading the book in class. Then I send a copy home to all of the families, and ask them to read the book and cast their votes. Anyone in the home can vote. This year, I know a few stuffed animals voted, but since this is Chicagoland, those votes are just as valid as ones cast by actual breathing human beings.

Then, a few days later, we tally the votes. In order to ensure veracity, I have the kids do the counting. So what if they skip from 19 to 30? Think back to the 2000 Election debacle. My Kindergartners could have done Florida proud!

That the Bear will win has usually been a forgone conclusion. Five year olds want a leader who will do their bidding.

This year, however, the Bear received a scant 12 votes to the 35 cast for the Fox. I was stunned. Seems like even the Kindergartners are fed up. They've voted in a change. It's in the air.

All I can say is - I hope the Fox can assemble a crackerjack team of advisors. I hear that Porcupine is short-listed for Chief of Staff.