In the final days of third grade, Arthur and his friends are enamored with a cool new teacher who they hope will become their fourth grade teacher, but end up realizing how much their time with Mr. Ratburn has meant to them all this time. Meanwhile, D.W. and Bud prepare for their first day of kindergarten, and Francine and Muffy butt heads over where to go for summer camp.
This episode contains the following tropes:
- Bait-and-Switch: Francine is pleased to learn that Camp Elysium has a stable of horses, only to learn on the website that the horses aren't for racing but "horse ballet".
- Broken Pedestal: Arthur and Buster initially think MC is the coolest teacher ever and desperately want to get into his fourth grade class next year. Eventually, they notice how MC keeps using the same inspirational lines on every student he talks to, and they realize they're not so eager to be in his class anymore.
- Growing Up Sucks: A key theme of the episode. Arthur and friends become concerned about their futures after leaving Mr. Ratburn’s class, while D.W. is nervous about starting kindergarten in the fall.
- Hippie Teacher: Mr. Cramp, or MC as he prefers to be called, is definitely this. He dispenses hippie-like wisdom to students, and he even has a Leitmotif that sounds like a sitar.
- Informed Attribute: At one point MC says "Long ears, strong heart", which Buster immediately recognizes as Bionic Bunny's motto. This is despite how Bionic Bunny has never actually said that in any previous episode.
- Ink-Suit Actor: MC's design makes him greatly resemble his voice actor, B.J. Novak.
- It Has Been an Honor: On the last day of school, Mr. Ratburn gives his class a speech along these lines, praising them for being a remarkable group of children he’s proud of.
- Meaningful Name: Camp Elysium, the fancy summer camp that Muffy wants to go to, is named after the afterlife reserved for heroes and the righteous in Greek mythology.
- Sand In My Eyes: After the class sings a song in his honor, Mr. Ratburn claims to have something in his eye and wipes it with a handkerchief, though he's clearly touched by his students doing such a thing for him.
- Status Quo Is God: The episode revolves around the inevitability that the class is going to have to move on from Mr. Ratburn, but ultimately they will have the chance to keep him since he decides to move up to fourth grade.
- Take a Third Option: Neither Francine nor Muffy want to go to each other's summer camps of choice, so Francine comes up with a compromise; she sets up a blog that only the two of them can edit, so that they can go to their respective camps while still sharing their experiences with each other on the blog.
