It was the end of a school year and the class were all nail biting over what their report cards would look like. They were all a bundle of nerves. Their teacher came in and the students asked her if they could have their report cards right away instead of at the end of the day. She said, "You are all barking up the wrong tree if you think I can give you your report cards now. The principal was very clear that they were not to be handed out until the last minute. I would like you all to quietly clean out your desks." The students didn't want to quietly clean out their desks! Some of the students in the class, (Tyra, Sonja, Tajai, Jackie and Zachary) said that they had prepared a collage of pictures of the school year, as a year end present, and all the class had signed it. When they brought it out they all needed to lend a helping hand because it was so large.

Their teacher was in tears, she was so touched. All the class were a nail biting bundle of nerves and said they just wanted to know if they had passed and didn't want to clean out their desks just yet. She said, "Oh, you were barking up the wrong tree asking me to give you your report cards early, but telling you if you have passed is a horse of a different color, I can lend you a helping hand and tell you that you all passed and will be going on to the next grade." With that the class burst into a loud roar. Now their teacher was a bundle of nerves, worrying if she had done the right thing and wondering if the principal would find out. She said to the class, "You all have to lend me a helping hand now, your nail biting is over so please quietly clean out your desks before the principal finds out what I have done because I am now the one who is nail biting." The students found that cleaning out their desks now that they knew that they had passed, was a horse of a different color.

Idioms in the Story:

nail biting bundle of nerves barking up the wrong tree helping hand nail biting  horse of a different color