Once upon a time, it was a sunny, warm day in September 2023. Sophia was in 4th grade, and she and her classmates were getting ready to go on a field trip. Sophia's class and her teacher, Miss Laura, were going to the Buffalo Zoo.

The students showed their excitement for the trip, Miss Laura overheard their conversations. Sophia asked Tyler ¨What did you pack for lunch?¨, Tyler enthusiastically responded ¨My mom packed me a lot of food and snacks so we can share¨! Sophia responded with ¨Yay, tell your mom I said thank you!¨ Sophia then went on to explain how she could barely sleep last night because of how excited she was. 

"What did you pack for lunch?"

"My mom packed me a lot of food and snacks so we can share"!

It was now around 8 am, and the kids were outside of their school waiting for their bus to arrive. Once the bus arrived, the kids sang the whole 20-minute ride to the Zoo. They were giggling and talking about the different animals they wanted to see. Brynn had asked Sophia what animal she was most excited to see. Sophia replied ¨I'm excited to see the zebras, hopefully they're not sleeping, I've never seen one in person before.¨ Brynn responded, "I also want to see the zebras, but I am more excited to see the polar bear."

"I'm excited to see the zebras, hopefully they're not sleeping, I've never seen one in person before."

Sophia, what animal are you most excited to see?

The kids arrived at the Zoo at around 8:30 am. They were awaiting Miss Laura along with the other classroom teachers. The adults were trying to sort out the kids into different groups with teachers and guides. After about 10 minutes, Miss Laura begun announcing the various groups. Sophia was getting a little worried, as a lot of her classmates were already named off but she wasn't. She said to Brynn with a worried tone, "My teacher must've forgotten about me." To which Brynn and Tyler replied, "Don't worry we haven't been called off yet either." Miss Laura then started naming the next group. She stated, "And last but not least, Sophia, Tyler, Brynn, Amaya, and Ryan, you are all in a group with me, and our guide will be Mr. Robert."

"My teacher must've forgotten about me."

"Don't worry we haven't been called off yet either."

Miss Laura was now talking to the guide, she explained the schedule that her group must follow to make sure they wouldn't miss the bus that was ready to pick them up at 2:45 pm. The schedule that they followed included 9-10:30 am: "Begin touring the zoo." 10:30-11:30: "Engage the group in hands-on activities, be sure to explain to the group how to participate in an activity, as well as to have fun."  11:30-12:30: "Lunch at the picnic tables by the food trucks. All classrooms will meet here, and students can sit wherever they want." 12:30-1 pm: "Take the group to the museum, if their parents give them money, they can buy a souvenir." 1-2:30: "Continue exploring the zoo, and show students the rest of the animals."  2:30 pm: "Meet up" 

"We need to return to the buses at 2:30 pm."

It was now 9 am, and Miss Laura's group begun touring the zoo and seeing a few animals. The group begun by seeing the reptiles. They saw animals like tortoises, snakes, lizards, and geckos. Tyler was extremely amused by the reptiles. He continuously asked the guide (Mr.Robert), "What is the name of this animal?", "Is this one poisonous?", "Is this one close to extinction?". All to which, Mr. Robert had replied with and educated the whole group. Miss Laura also did not know a lot about reptiles.

"What is the name of this animal?"

"This is the African Pancake Tortoise."

After the kids finished touring many of the animals, Sophia was a little upset. They had spent over an hour and a half seeing animals but she still hadn't seen the zebras. Sophia didn't know what to do. She had asked Miss Laura in a serious but worried tone, "When are we going to see the zebras?" To which Miss Laura responded, "Don't worry, after we eat lunch, we will then go see more animals and the zebras." Sophia was now excited and the group began engaging in hands-on learning. The kids played little games they had found inside the animal centers and played a quick trivia game. 

"When are we going to see the zebras?"

"Don't worry, after we eat lunch, we will go see more animals and the zebras."  

At this point, the kids had headed back to the picnic tables to eat lunch. The kids were having so much fun that they did not realize how fast time was going by. They ate their packed lunches and before they knew it, it was time for them to go visit the museum. After they visited the museum, it was time to start seeing the other animals again. Sophia was the most enthusiastic as she exclaimed, "I'm so excited to see the zebras!" 

"I am so excited to see the zebras!"

Much time had passed, as it was now around 2 pm and Sophia still had not seen the zebras which she was most excited for. Shockingly, the guide had surprised Sophia, as their last and final stop was to see the zebras to which they were headed. You could see the excited emotion on Sophia's face when she finally saw the zebras. However, Sophia seemed confused. She had asked Miss Laura "Why is this zebra so different from the other ones? I don't like that one, I don't like that he's different from  the rest, he should be the same as the others." 

"Why is this zebra so different from the other ones? I don't like that one, I don't like that he's different from the rest, he should be the same as the others." 

At this point, Miss Laura and Mr. Robert were concerned as to why Sophia had reacted this way when she saw a different-colored zebra. Miss Laura saw this as a learning opportunity for Sophia and the other students. However, Mr. Robert was extremely puzzled, he did not know how to respond to Sophia's reaction. Miss Laura then replied to Sophia's reaction with, "Sophia, your reaction is not appropriate at a time like this, zebras can be different colors, look different, and act differently, they are not all the same, just like humans." Miss Laura explained to Sophia that she could not exclude a zebra from the others just because of the animal's skin tone. Sophia replied to Miss Laura with, "Well, my mom always tells me to stay away from people who are a different color than me because they are bad people." Miss Laura and Mr. Robert were shocked, their entire demeanor changed, and they realized that this was a more serious topic.