He thought she was making fun of him. Then he realized her mouth was forming the word “fourteen” over and over again.
“Fourteen,” he said.
“Good,” said Mrs. North.
He wrote the number four and carried the one.
His brain started working again.
“Two plus four is six, plus one is seven.” He put seven in the next column.
He carefully went through the problem, one step at a time.
He was almost finished when there was a knock at the door.
Mr. McCabe, the principal, opened the door and said, “Excuse us. Do you mind if we come in?”
Another man was with him.
Marvin was pretty sure the other man was the president.
Mrs. North said, “W-w-w-welcome.” She wiggled her hand behind her back, signaling the class to stand.
Marvin was already standing, but he stood straighter.
Everyone clapped as the other man walked into the classroom.
“Thank you,” he said. “Please sit down.”
Marvin didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to disobey the president. But he had been standing before the president came.
“This is Mrs. North,” said Mr. McCabe. Mr. McCabe wore a long-sleeve shirt. He had a hole over his pink and bony elbow.
“I’ve heard wonderful things about you,” the president said. He shook Mrs. North’s hand.
Marvin couldn’t believe that his teacher was really shaking the president’s hand.
“Thank you,” said Mrs. North. “I’ve heard—I mean—we are all delighted you are here.”
The president turned and looked at Marvin. “Those are big numbers,” he said.
Marvin didn’t know what to say.
“Did you add those by yourself?”
“It’s not finished,” said Marvin.
The president smiled. “Well, go ahead, finish.”
Marvin took a breath and exhaled. He looked back at the problem on the board. He’d lost his place. He had to start back at the beginning and add the numbers in his head.
He finished the problem.
The president looked it over. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Um …” Marvin’s brain had turned off again, but then it came back on. “Marvin. Marvin Redpost.”
“Good job, Marvin,” said the president. He held out his hand.
Marvin shook hands with the president.
6
Marvin returned to his desk.
“Thank you for letting me come and interrupt your class,” the president said. “I won’t stay too long. I don’t want you to miss recess.” He smiled.
“We don’t care!” shouted Stuart. “Stay as long as you want.”
Mrs. North gave The Look to Stuart.
“Mrs. North said we’ll get recess after you go away,” said Nick.
Mrs. North gave The Look to Nick, too. Then she said, “We understand you are very busy, Mr. President. We appreciate any—”
There was a jar filled with marbles on Mrs. North’s desk. As Mrs. North spoke, her hand swept across her desk and knocked the marble jar over. The marbles spilled out, rolled off the desk, and bounced onto the floor.
The children in the front row scrambled to pick up the rolling marbles.
The president helped, too.
Mrs. North’s face was as red as the post in front of Marvin’s house.
The children put the marbles back in the jar.
“I am so sorry,” said Mrs. North.
The president dropped two marbles into the jar, plop, plop, and said, “No problem.”
Everyone settled back into their seats.
“You are probably wondering why I’ve come here today,” the president said.
Marvin had been wondering that.
“Well, I want to talk about what it means to be a good citizen. Who knows what a citizen is?”
Lots of hands went up in the air.
Marvin didn’t raise his hand. He thought he knew what a citizen was, but he didn’t know how to say it.
“Yes?” said the president, looking at Melanie.
“A person,” said Melanie.
“Very good answer,” said the president. “A citizen is a person. But is there a difference between a person and a citizen?”
Melanie shrugged.
“Anyone know?” asked the president.
Some hands started to go up, but then came back down.
Clarence raised his hand.
“Yes,” said the president.
“Do you have a dog?” asked Clarence.
“Yes, I do,” said the president, “but that’s not what we’re talking about now.”
Mrs. North gave The Look to Clarence.
“Who can tell me the difference between a person and a citizen?” the president asked. “How about you, Marvin?”
Marvin couldn’t believe it. The president had remembered his name!
He tried to come up with an answer. He didn’t want to let the president down. “Um, well, if you’re a person, it’s like you’re alone. A citizen is part of something bigger, like a country?”
He didn’t know if that made sense or not.
“Exactly right!” said the president. “We are not alone. We are all part of a big group. That group is called the United States of America.”
Marvin smiled. He wasn’t sure if that was what he had meant when he said it, but it made sense when the president said it.
“America is not just a place on a map,” the president said. “America is made up of all of its citizens. If we want America to be a great country, it is up to every single one of us—me, you, Mr. McCabe, Mrs. North, Marvin—to be good citizens.”
The president asked the students if they could think of ways to be good citizens.
Casey Happleton raised her hand.
“Yes, ma’am,” said the president.
Casey smiled, then got serious again.
“Help people who need help,” she said.
“Very good.”
Nick raised his hand.
“Yes, sir,” said the president.
“Don’t fight,” said Nick.
“Excellent,” said the president.
Lots of hands went up in the air.
“Clean up after yourself,” said Travis.
“Recycle,” said Patsy.
“Brush your teeth,” said Gina.
The president had to think about that one. “It’s important for citizens to try to be clean and healthy,” he agreed.
Marvin thought of some good ideas, too, but he didn’t raise his hand. He’d already gotten to shake the president’s hand. He wanted to let others have a chance. That was part of being a good citizen.
Nearly everybody in the class came up with something: Listen to your teacher and parents. Don’t make fun of people. Put out fires. Don’t cheat. Don’t lie. Smile.
The president said he was very impressed with all the ideas the children had. “This is why I wanted to come to a third-grade class,” he said. “I knew third graders would know how to be good citizens. Sometimes, when people get older, they forget. I hope a lot of people will see and hear you on television this evening. They may learn something.”
7
“If you have time, Mr. President, the children have prepared questions,” said Mrs. North.
“Well, I hope I’m prepared to answer them,” said the president. “Now that I’ve met your class, I’m sure they will be very interesting questions.”
Mrs. North had the students take turns coming to the front of the room. They would go by rows.
Marvin sat in the fourth seat of the second row. He counted the people ahead of him. He would be ninth.
Judy Jasper was first.
Mrs. North told her to first say her name and then ask her question. She reminded her to speak loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Judy Jasper!” shouted Judy, causing the president to jump back.
“Not quite so loud,” sai
d Mrs. North.
“Judy Jasper,” said Judy.
“When you were in the third grade, did you know you would be president someday?”
“When I was in the third grade, Judy,” said the president, “I don’t think I even knew there was a president. I was more interested in playing with my friends.”
Judy started to return to her seat, but the president called her back and shook her hand.
Stuart was next. “Stuart Albright,” he said. “What if you don’t like white? Can you paint your house a different color?”
The president laughed.
“The White House doesn’t belong to me. I live there, but it belongs to all of the citizens of our country. And I don’t think they’d like it if I painted it blue with yellow polka dots. Do you, Stuart?”
Stuart’s mouth dropped open. “Uh, I, uh, um, it’s okay with me.”
He shook the president’s hand and hurried back to his seat.
Marvin practiced his question in his head. What are you doing about pollution? He wondered if he had to say his name first, since the president already knew it. Marvin Redpost. What are you doing about pollution, Mr. President? He had to remember to call him Mr. President.
Clarence was next. “I have a two-part question,” he said.
“Okay,” said the president.
“Do you have a dog?”
“Yes.”
“Does your dog know you’re the president?”
The president laughed. “You know, Clarence, I’ve been asked lots of questions, but I don’t think anyone has ever asked me that before.” He thought it over, then said, “I don’t think my dog cares if I’m president. I’ve had Pickles for twelve years. She has always made me feel as if I was the most special person in the whole world. Even before I was president.”
Clarence shook the president’s hand.
“Casey Happleton. Are you doing anything to get rid of pollution, Mr. President?”
Marvin felt a stab of disappointment. Now he had to think of another question.
“I’m trying,” said the president. “The problem is that everyone causes a tiny bit of pollution. Everybody thinks their little bit doesn’t make any difference. But when you put all those tiny bits together, you get a big problem.”
Casey nodded.
“Ask your other question!” said Melanie.
“Only one question each,” said Mrs. North.
“But she’s got a question I bet he’s never heard before,” said Melanie.
“Well, let’s hear it,” said the president.
Casey looked at Mrs. North to see if it was okay. In the classroom, Mrs. North was still the boss. Not the president.
Mrs. North nodded.
Casey took a breath. “Do I have to say my name again?”
“No, I know you’re Casey Happleton,” said the president.
Casey smiled. She took another breath. “If a spaceship lands in my backyard and a little green man says, ‘Take me to your leader,’ should I take him to you? And how do I do that?”
Everybody laughed.
“I think you should take him to Mrs. North,” said the president.
Everybody laughed again. Mrs. North laughed the loudest.
Casey shook the president’s hand.
Marvin practiced his war question. Marvin Redpost. Are we going to get into a war anytime soon, Mr. President? Marvin Redpost. Are we…
It was Travis’s turn. “Hi, I’m Travis. Do you hate people who didn’t vote for you?”
“No. What really bothers me, Travis, is when people don’t vote at all. It makes me think they don’t care about their country.”
“Oh, good,” said Travis. “Because my parents voted. They just didn’t vote for you.”
The president shook his hand.
“Patsy Gatsby,” said Patsy. She was the first person in Marvin’s row. “Are there ever days when you wish you weren’t president?”
The president had to think a long time before answering that one. “I know there are days when other people wish I wasn’t president,” he said.
“Like Travis’s parents,” said Patsy.
The president smiled. “It’s not an easy job, Patsy,” he said. “There are times when it would be nice to take a hike, or just watch TV, or something. But I don’t think I’ve ever wished I wasn’t president. I feel very proud to have been elected to serve the citizens of this country.”
Patsy shook his hand, then returned to her seat.
“Nick Tuffle. When you go to another country, do you ever have to eat really weird food and pretend you like it?”
The president nodded. “It happens a lot. I try to spread it around on my plate, so it looks as if I ate more than I really did.”
“I do that, too,” said Nick.
“What’s the weirdest thing you ever had to eat?”
“Probably jellyfish.”
“Oh, gross!” said Nick.
Nick didn’t seem at all nervous talking to the president. They shook hands, then he returned to his seat.
Marvin was getting very nervous. It was Melanie’s turn, and he was after Melanie.
Mr. President. Are we going to get into a war anytime soon? Marvin Redpost.
Melanie asked her question. “Is there going to be another war?”
Marvin couldn’t believe it.
“I hope not, Melanie. It’s just like being a good citizen. You shouldn’t fight. Our country is a citizen of the world. And we shouldn’t fight either.”
Melanie shook the president’s hand.
Marvin slowly walked to the front of the room.
“Hi, Marvin,” said the president. “I’m sure you’ve got a real good question.”
Marvin didn’t know what to do. All he had left was his shoe question. “Marvin Redpost,” he said. He looked at the president, who was looking at him. Marvin was impressed by how kind and smart he was, and how he remembered everybody’s name. Marvin hoped to be president someday, too, and he wanted to be just like him. “Is there something we should be doing now if we want to be president someday?”
The president nodded and smiled at Marvin. “I think you’re already doing it, Marvin,” he said. “Work hard. Listen to your teacher. Be a good citizen. All those things we talked about earlier. If you do that, then any one of you—Casey, Travis, Nick, Patsy—might be president someday.”
The president put his arm around Marvin’s shoulders. “Take a good look at this bright young man here. You may be looking at a future president.”
Marvin could see all the cameras were pointed at him and the president. He tried not to smile. He didn’t want to look goofy.
8
The president left. The television crews left. Mr. McCabe returned to the principal’s office.
“Well,” said Mrs. North.
That was all she said.
Everyone waited for her to say more.
“Well, well, well,” said Mrs. North.
She walked from one end of the room to the other, then back again.
Marvin’s head was spinning. He couldn’t wait to get home and tell his parents that the president had said he might be president someday.
“You guys were terrific!” Mrs. North said at last. “I have never been so proud.”
“Was I a good citizen?” asked Clarence.
“Yes, Clarence, you were,” said Mrs. North. “You all were.”
“Did we earn a marble?” asked Gina.
When the children were good, Mrs. North would add a marble to the jar on her desk. When the jar was full, they’d get to go to Lake Park.
Mrs. North opened her desk drawer and took out her bag of marbles. She pulled out a handful of marbles and dropped them in the jar.
Plop ploppity, ploppity plop.
“Let’s go to Lake Park!” she said.
Everyone cheered.
On the way to the park, Marvin spoke to Casey. “Thanks for helping me on the math problem.”
“I knew you knew it,”
said Casey. “Your brain just got stuck.”
Marvin smiled. He thought Casey was a good citizen.
If Casey hadn’t helped him, then he never would have gotten the problem right, and the president wouldn’t have told him he might be president someday.
He decided that when he got to be president, he would ask Casey to be vice president.
Just so long as nobody thought he liked her.
He wondered if she would still have a ponytail sticking out of the side of her head.
Stuart came up alongside him. “Lake Park on a Thursday! Can you believe it?”
Usually, they only got to go to Lake Park on Fridays.
Marvin couldn’t even remember what day it was anymore.
“Hey, you guys want to come over to my house after school?” asked Nick.
“Sure,” said Stuart.
“How about you, Marvin?”
Marvin really wanted to go home and tell his family about the president. But he knew his parents wouldn’t get home until after five o’clock, anyway. They both worked.
“Sure, okay,” he said.
He stumbled, but caught his balance. He looked down at his feet. He had a strange feeling, as if his feet were trying to tell him something.
9
Marvin came home late in the afternoon. He was tired from playing hard, but still very excited. He walked through the gate, past the red post. Suddenly, he remembered.
“Shoes,” he said aloud.
He felt awful. It seemed as if he was always forgetting something. He sighed. He knew his mom would be mad. She had planned to leave work early just so she could take him shopping.
Maybe she forgot, too, he thought. He hoped.
Linzy, his little sister, met him at the door. “You better hide,” she warned.
Marvin slowly stepped inside.
His mother was standing by the stairs. Her hands were on her hips. “So nice of you to come home,” she said.
“Sorry,” said Marvin.
“Sorry?” asked his mother. “Is that it?”
Marvin didn’t know what else he could say. “I forgot,” he said. “You won’t believe what happened at school today!”