The boys have returned to the Mansion victorious after their first regular-season Academic Team meet. Both the Newmentia varsity and JV can add two wins to their belts.
For kids so smart, one of them is woefully forgetful. The Pony left his jacket in my classroom while embarking on the trip. That means he was out gallivanting in the 13-degree wind chill with bare arms. Of course, the frigid air means nothing to a hot-blooded adolescent. My cries for him to wear outer garments are met with hoots of disdain. You'd think I'd asked the young fellow to sport a gossamer headscarf.
The #1 son used to be forgetful as well. In fact, our name for him was The Absentminded Professor. I don't know that he's outgrown the title. He's just more careful not to let his absentminded flag fly.
They come by it naturally. Farmer H is always at a loss for the proper word. And this afternoon, I, myself, had a space academy moment. I could not for the life of me remember what a "bellringer" was. I went through various incarnations in an effort to prime the pump. Barnstormer? Brainstarter? Boardwarmer? It eluded me forever. I was nigh on asking a student, "What do you call those things a teacher puts on the board to keep you occupied while they take attendance?"
I was working with juniors at the time. It's probably just as well that I did not ask for their input. Their responses are sometimes unpredictable.
2 comments:
Perhaps you COULD ask them. For our entertainment, you understand...
Perhaps you could come up with some phrases that they might not be familiar with (bellringer, hot toddy, mumu) and give them just a fun "quiz."
Their answers would probably be hilarious.
Sioux,
Funny you should mention that. In a manner of life imitating comments on my super-secret blog, I was handed an idea for a post just this morning. On a silver platter, wrapped up with a pretty red bow. Come with me, won't you, to the next post?
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