Back on December 28 the wet season was in full swing at the vernal pool. I’d spent enough time in the cold wind beside the vernal pool to be satisfied I’d seen all I was going to see that morning. Eleven species in an hour. Also confirmed my identification of the Gadwall. From the shed beside the pool I was close enough to clearly see the Gadwalls, even the dark eye line on the dark head. And the Mallards! I noted their dignified foraging, keeping their body upright while bending the neck and submerging only the head. This confirmed that it was the American Wigeon that tip over completely, leaving their backside up while the head and shoulders (?) greedily forage for what they can get. They look like a village of tepees. Then suddenly they are ducks again, with dignity if only for a few seconds. But who am I to say one duck is better than another duck just because he seems dignified to me and displays proper restraint by my standards? Each of these “sitting ducks” is a survivor whose siblings were lost to hunters, raptors, and who knows what else.

So, as I look at a new generation of students, and realize what “sitting ducks” they are in this evil world, my question should not be: What’s wrong with them? but: what can I do to help them as they face struggles I never dreamed of at that age?