The Shark Tooth

Jake stood in the classroom. His heart was beating fast. It was his first day at his new school, and there were so many things he didn’t know.

He didn’t know any other kids. His family had just moved—right in the middle of the school year.

He didn’t know where to go. Did he have an assigned place to sit?

And he didn’t know what to do. All the other kids were putting away their coats. Should he do that too?

His mom had told him to be brave, but he wasn’t feeling brave at all.

He was feeling scared.

The only person he knew was his new teacher, Mr. Ramos. He and his parents had met him yesterday. He loved that Mr. Ramos had asked him a lot of questions about himself.

Now Mr. Ramos said, “Jake, let’s go meet your classmates.”

Mr. Ramos took him around and introduced him to the other kids. He told them a different fact about Jake each time.

“This is Jake. He’s new here. He likes Dog Man books.”

“This is Jake. He has a cat.”

The other kids were friendly.

“I love Dog Man!” one said.

“I have a cat!” said another.

Jake started to feel a little less nervous. There was still so much he didn’t know. But he knew one thing for sure: Mr. Ramos was the best.

Later, the class sat on the rug.

“It’s Show-and-Tell Day,” said Mr. Ramos. “I’d like to share.” He went to his desk and picked up a small yellow bag.

“I found this at the beach,” he said. “It’s a shark tooth!”

He pulled out a small, pointy object from the bag and passed it around.

Jake was so excited when it was his turn to hold it. It was smooth, white, and sharp. This was by far the coolest thing that anyone could find. A real shark tooth! Mr. Ramos was the best!

All morning long, Jake thought about that shark tooth. He just wanted to see it again. Maybe hold it. Maybe keep it in his pocket and touch it when he felt scared.

Before lunch, Jake saw that Mr. Ramos was not at his desk.

He walked by. He grabbed the little yellow bag and put it in his pocket.

The bell rang for lunch.

The cafeteria was packed with kids. Jake didn’t know where to sit. He was feeling scared again.

He felt the shark tooth in his pocket. It was sharp and powerful. He could do this.

 Jake sat down. He was nervous to talk to the boy next
to him, but he did it anyway.

Later, at the end of the day, Mr. Ramos asked, “Has anyone seen my shark tooth? It’s gone.”

Jake started to sweat. Oh no. What had he done?

At home, Jake’s parents had so many questions. Did he make friends? Who did he sit with at lunch? How was Mr. Ramos?

Jake burst into tears.

“What’s wrong?” asked his mom.

Jake looked down. “I did something I shouldn’t have.”

He told them about Mr. Ramos, how kind he was. How he had the coolest shark tooth ever. And how Jake took it.

“I know I need to give it back!” he said. “But I’m scared I’ll get in trouble. And I’m scared that Mr. Ramos won’t like me anymore.”

They talked it out and decided what to do. 

 The next day, Jake walked into class. He held an envelope with a little lump in the middle.

“I can do it. I can be brave,” he thought.

He took a deep breath, waited until no one was looking, and then placed the envelope on his teacher’s desk.

A little while later, Jake saw Mr. Ramos pick up the envelope and read. Jake remembered the words he had written.

Dear Mr. Ramos,

I took your shark tooth. I’m really sorry. I’m giving it back to you. I hope you can forgive me.

From, Jake

Was Mr. Ramos mad? Jake decided to be as courageous as he could. He peeked over at his teacher.

Mr. Ramos looked up at him. He smiled. And he made the thumbs-up sign.

Jake smiled back.

It was his second day at his new school, and there were a few things he knew.

He knew he didn’t have the shark tooth anymore, but he had been brave.

He knew that he had made a mistake, but he had been forgiven for it.

And he knew one other thing for sure. Mr. Ramos was still the best.