South Tama Elementary School Counselor Anita Townsley stands with 1st Graders Ayla, Josh and Coral who all had just lost a tooth earlier in their guidance class on Monday, Feb. 7. – Photo provided

This week was National School Counselors Week and most school counselors had the opportunity to celebrate with special recognition from their peers or special cards and well wishes from their students.

For South Tama Elementary School Counselor Anita Townsley, the week started off with a peculiarity.

Townsley was working with Mrs. McGrew’s 1st Grade class just after lunch time, teaching them a lesson about perseverance when all of a sudden one of her students Coral came up and proudly reported that she just lost her first tooth.

Townsley taped the little tooth to a sticky note and wrote a note saying that Coral had lost her tooth in counseling class that day.

“Those teeth are really precious to those 1st graders,” Townsley said. “You know, they always have to take them home and put them under their pillow for the tooth fairy so I want to make sure they don’t lose them before they get home.”

Not long after the first tooth came loose another 1st grader, Ayla, let Townsley know her tooth had also come out.

Another sticky note was composed and the Townsley’s lesson continued on until a third student, Josh, found his way to the front of the class to report that he thought his tooth might also come out, which it eventually did a few minutes later.

Townsley said in her more than 35 years in education she’s never had multiple students lose their teeth in the same class, let alone three in the span of 45 minutes.

She said no tears were spilled in the teeth-shedding process as the kids are generally proud.

“All three of them were so proud when it happened,” Townsley said. “They all wanted to show off where their little tooth gap was and the other kids were excited for them too.”