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[Music]
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hello learners
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welcome to reading with miss c
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the title of today's story is mr
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lincoln's way
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this realistic fiction is written and
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illustrated by patricia polacco
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in this story a principle teaches us a
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valuable lesson about showing empathy
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empathy means that someone is able to
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share
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or understand
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the emotions and feelings of another
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person
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are you guys ready for this reading
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adventure
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[Applause]
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excellent then let's get started
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mr lincoln was the coolest principal in
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the whole world or so his students
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thought he had the coolest clothes had
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the coolest smile and did the coolest
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things
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he had tea parties with mrs west's
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kindergarten every spring he took mr
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blix's sixth graders on nature walks in
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the fall he set up his telescope next to
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the pond in the back of school on
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special nights and invited kids and
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their families to come and look at the
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stars
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and in the winter he was santa for the
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christmas play
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lit the menorah for hanukkah wore a
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daishiki for kwanzaa and a burn noose
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for ramadan mr lincoln was just plain
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cool
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absolutely everybody thought so except
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eugene esterhouse
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mean jean is what everybody called him
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mean jean sassed the teachers and beat
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up on most of the other kids on the
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playground he was no student at all he
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drove mrs dunkle crazy in english
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miss chu wanted to drop him from art and
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he was a bully he always seemed angry
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picking on kids and calling them names
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he's not a bad boy really mr lincoln
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said
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only troubled
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to just about everybody in school though
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eugene was trouble
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spell with a capital t
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then one day
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he leered out a first grader what you
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looking at scumbag he said
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and he pushed her down and wrenched her
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backpack away
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i'm going to tell mr lincoln she
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announced
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go ahead you little brat i'm not afraid
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of that
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then he stopped mr lincoln was standing
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right there
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the bell rang and eugene scurried away
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now eugene was in mr lincoln's thoughts
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more than ever
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he knew he had to find a way to reach
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him
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then one day as mr lincoln was helping
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the fifth grade plant a tree in the
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beautiful atrium he noticed that eugene
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was looking up into the branches of one
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of the other trees
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there sat a bright red cardinal
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two other days mr lincoln had seen
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eugene standing at the atrium window
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watching birds on the trees
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mr lincoln wondered
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was it possible that
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it wasn't a day later when mr lincoln
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called eugene into his office eugene
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slumped into the chair
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mr lincoln took a beautiful book out of
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his desk drawer a book in blazing color
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and all about birds he turned to one
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page and studied the illustration
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i've got these little birds all over my
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tree and i don't know what they are
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eugene got out of his chair and walked
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closer
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those are red capped nut hatches weird
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to see them this time of year
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you seem to know your birds mr lincoln
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said with a warm smile
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i do
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when i lived on my grandpa's farm
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he had tons of birds around
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chickens thrashers meadowlarks
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we raise carrier pigeons together
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you've got quite a grandpa mr lincoln
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said but eugene just turned his back on
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mr lincoln and left the room
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a week had gone by when eugene ran into
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mr lincoln by the atrium looking glum
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i have a problem mr lincoln said
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so
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that atrium was supposed to be full of
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birds but they're just not coming the
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principal looked into the empty atrium
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wrong plants in there to make them want
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to stay
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not the right food either eugene started
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to walk away
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your grandpa teach you that too
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eugene turned and looked at mr lincoln
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for the first time
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maybe
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do you suppose you could help us attract
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birds here to our atrium eugene
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mr lincoln handed him a book and perhaps
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this would help
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eugene seemed stunned at first
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then he took the beautiful book on birds
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in his hands
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wrapped it in his arms and bolted down
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the hallway
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as the days passed eugene never seemed
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to be without the book his english
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teacher let eugene read passages from
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the book in class
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i'm so pleased to see him reading mrs
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dunkle exclaimed
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and when he didn't have his nose in that
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book he was almost constantly out in the
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atrium
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he and mr lincoln made a list of plants
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and shrubs to buy and types of grain and
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seeds to feed the birds they even built
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three feeders together
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that's when it started to happen the
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birds began to come
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nut hatchers bluebirds a tanager and
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many colored finches
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so many different kinds that the whole
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school stood from time to time just to
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watch the wonder of them in the atrium
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eugene seemed genuinely happy
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he didn't even tease other kids anymore
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then one day
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miss chu burst into mr lincoln's office
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there are two mallards nesting in the
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atrium mr lincoln rushed to the hall and
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sure enough there in the atrium were a
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male and female mallard and there was
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their nest near the southeastern corner
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of the atrium
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mr lincoln saw eugene on the other side
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of the atrium giving him a thumbs up
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i was hoping that they might be a mating
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pair jean said one day as he and mr
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lincoln looked at the five perfect eggs
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in the nest
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just one problem
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the ducklings will need to be near water
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they'll need to get to the pond outside
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they can't fly out of the top like their
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parents
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you'll think of something eugene i know
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you will mr lincoln said and he put his
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hand on eugene's shoulder
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it was nice that mean gene wasn't mean
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anymore
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it was only three days later that there
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was a commotion in the hall
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mrs betteling rushed into mr lincoln's
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office with eugene in tow
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mr lincoln looked at eugene in disbelief
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what happened
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i'll let eugene tell you mrs belding
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trumpeted but eugene said nothing he
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just sat looking hateful and defiant
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trouble in the lunch line she went on
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he singled out two of our students from
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mexico
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he called them brown skinned toads and
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other unacceptable names
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i'll take care of this mr lincoln said
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quietly
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mr lincoln sat down in front of the boy
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eugene my skin is brown too
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eugene just glared at mr lincoln
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this i know eugene someone who loves
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birds the way you do couldn't possibly
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have that kind of hate in his heart
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then eugene began to cry
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my old man got real mad when i got home
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late from helping you he sobbed
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he said you are not our kind
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our kind mr lincoln murmured he led
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eugene to the window of the atrium it
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was alive with the songs of the birds
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i see sparrows jays
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cardinals nut hatches and mallards
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don't all of those beautiful types and
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colors make this a beautiful place to be
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for all of them
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eugene nodded yes
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well god made all of them all kinds
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just like he made all of us eugene
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fact is
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all of you children here with all of
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your cool differences are like my little
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birds yes my little birds
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and that should be your answer as to
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what is right or wrong and what your
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father said mr lincoln said quietly
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my old man calls you real bad names mr
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lincoln he's got an ugly name for just
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about everybody that's different from us
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mr lincoln didn't talk for the longest
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time
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eugene sometimes people get trapped in
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their thinking almost as surely as those
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ducklings will be trapped in that atrium
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mr lincoln said thoughtfully
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my grandpa just wasn't like that
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mr lincoln put his arm around the boy's
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shoulder i'd like to meet that grandpa
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but eugene you have to promise me
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even when things happen at home here at
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school you need to treat all of my
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little birds with kindness and respect
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no more teasing and name calling please
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promise me
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eugene promised
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eugene was good to his word he became a
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model citizen
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he tried with all of his heart to keep
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his promise to mr lincoln
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then one bright morning eugene stopped
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at the atrium window
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the eggs were starting to hatch he ran
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from room to room and brought the whole
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school to watch
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the ducklings were hatching one by one
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at first they were wet and unsteady but
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in a short time they were fuzzy and
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racing about
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as the days passed the mallard parents
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flew out of the atrium landing on the
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pond just behind the school
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they were leaving their babies for
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longer and longer periods of time
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eugene and mr lincoln knew that the time
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was approaching when they would need to
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get the ducklings out of the atrium and
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into the pond they had a plan
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when the big day arrived classes were
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asked to stay in their rooms then eugene
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and mr lincoln opened the door to the
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atrium and stepped in
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they had both practiced saying king king
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like the mallard parents
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now they talk to the ducklings coaxing
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them to follow
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the father mallard waddled up the
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doorway of the atrium and peered down
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the hallway
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at the end of the hall the father
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mallard could see the lawn and the pond
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eugene called
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the mother mallard came out first then
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one by one her babies followed eugene
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walked down the hall calling to them
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over and over as the family waddled
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behind him
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then all at once the mother and father
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took the lead and the ducklings scurried
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after them
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at the outside doorway they stopped for
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a moment then the mother and father
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mallard jumped out of the doorway and
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coaxed each of the ducklings to follow
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parents had gathered at the top of the
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hill
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they had been invited to watch from afar
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then eugene heard a voice from behind
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them call out his name
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eugene boy come over here
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it was his grandfather the boy raced up
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the hill and mr lincoln joined them both
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this is my grandpa eugene sang out
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i know mr lincoln said eugene turned
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toward him
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had mr lincoln something to do with this
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miracle with his grandpa being here
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now the old man shook mr lincoln's hand
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heartily
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i would sure like to stay with you again
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grandpa eugene said as he and his
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grandfather walked up the hill together
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the old man put his arm around the boy's
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shoulders
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later eugene and mr lincoln walked down
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by the pond together eugene needed to
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say something to mr lincoln
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you showed those ducklings the way out
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eugene mr lincoln said
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hey you showed me the way out mr lincoln
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eugene smiled
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then he stopped and looked into his
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principal's eyes
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i'll make you proud of me mr lincoln i
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promise
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[Applause]
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you