A 4-yr old breathes life into MathNotations!

Ok, so I have neglected MathNotations for over a year and have chosen to express my thoughts in 140 character spurts. I've lost my faithful readership and abandoned the Carnivals.

But the living embodiment of "Kids Say The Darndest Things" will always bring me back. The precious gems uttered by my then 2-yr old grandson still garnered more hits than any Math Ed diatribe or challenge problem, so it's only fitting he would bring me back now that he just turned 4.

Here then are 3 recent anecdotes...

1. He's the only 4-yr old in a summer beginning reading class at our local community college, the other students being 5 and 6. The teacher was reviewing letter recognition and sight words. Each child was asked to come to the board and point to a letter in a word, say, the 'T' in CAT. Things went well until she got to my grandson. "Ok, _____, go to the board and point to the 'B' in BIRD." My grandson, who was sitting with his feet up on the desk, replied with "No thank you. It's the one on the left".

2. My daughter noticed my grandson was spending a lot of time at a party with a certain young lady. On the ride home my daughter teasingly asked my grandson if _______ was his "girlfriend". "No", he emphatically replied, "She's not my girlfriend, she's just a friend!"

3. At the pediodontist the other day, my grandson was doing very well and then the hygienist asked my grandson which of three flavors he would like for his teeth cleaning. My grandson replied, "All three!" She explained they don't do that, he had to pick just one and he came back with, "How many teeth are in my mouth!" She relented and used all 3 flavors. Afterwards she asked which was his favorite and he came back with, "I don't know. They all tasted the same."

Again I suggested to my daughter that she get an unlisted phone number and turn off her cell phone when he starts kindergarten!










"All Truth passes through Three Stages: First, it is Ridiculed... Second, it is Violently Opposed... Third, it is Accepted as being Self-Evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer (1778-1860) You've got to be taught To hate and fear, You've got to be taught From year to year, It's got to be drummed In your dear little ear You've got to be carefully taught. --from South Pacific