Did I mention there was an ostrich at work the other day?

I love my job (most days) because things like this actually happen.

I was taking my students to the lunch room when out of the corner of my eye I spied an ostrich in the gym.  I had to stop and say aloud "is that an ostrich?" then pinch myself and laugh, because ostrich sightings in elementary schools do not happen every day.

It was, in fact, a real live genuine ostrich ( ! ), and I came within two feet of it as I walked back from the lunchroom.  There it was with its trainer, strutting down the hall towards me. We most definitely had a moment of eye contact. 

Turns out we were having an assembly that day, and the ostrich wasn't the only animal I got to pet (yes - pet!).  There was also an oppossum (cutest thing I ever saw), an alligator, a hedgehog, a python, and a tarantula (which a 4th grader bravely held). 

To commemorate the fact that my job is awesome and I get to partake in such fun assemblies, I have compiled some fun ostrich facts.

(Source: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/ostrich-facts.htm)