Tomato, To-MAH-to
I don't know if you've ever heard people say that children tend to have the complete opposite interests of their parents. I'm sure there is a witty adage about that, but my brain is fried, and I can't think of what that would be, and that 's the best explanation I can come up with, so that'll have to do. Anyhoo, it's certainly true in this household between me and my son. Pretty much in every category of comparison (except stubbornness and temper), we're completely different. If you've ever heard of "multiple intelligences", he is a body learner and I'm an intrapersonal learner. If you haven't heard of multiple intelligences, you should really click the linky. It explained me to a "T". So, anyway, it took me a while to figure out that he didn't just want to curl up in a ball with a book like I did; I totally don't understand how he just slams through the day with extreme prejudice basically until he passes out.
But when it comes to school, we're even more opposite. He could care less about school; because I was in a fundy cult, education was the only breath of fresh air, so I latched on to as much of it as I could. It's not that Dante doesn't care about books and reading--so long as it's something that interests him. He'll read. But he just doesn't have that drive to learn stuff like I did at school. He's a very "passive" learner. He also knows how much it galls me that he's so passive about it, and he finds that highly funny. Consequently, every time he gets the chance to screw with me about what he's learning in school, he takes that opportunity to drive me batshit insane. I call into evidence a recent dinner conversation that went something like this:
Virgil: So, what are you learning in school right now?
Dante: Stuff. (Smirks)
Virgil: What kind of stuff?
Dante: School stuff. (Big grin)
Virgil: Such as??
Dante: WAR!
Virgil: OK. Which one?
Dante: The one where people died. (Laughs)
Virgil: Which would be...........
Dante: The Revo-LU-tionary one.
Virgil: Oh, good, what was that all about?
Dante: People died.
Virgil: YES. Yes they did. Why?
Dante: "Give me liberty, or give me death!!!" (Gives sly sideways glance at me)
Virgil: Oh! Good! Who said that?
Dante: I did.
Virgil: Yes, and who said it before you?
Dante: (shrugs) Idunno. Some man.
Virgil: Patrick Henry?
Dante: Probably.
Virgil: OK. So it was over liberty?
Dante: Yes. And tea.
Virgil: Tea?
Dante: Yes. They threw it in the water and then people died. (Another grin)
Virgil: The tea in the water made people die?
Dante: (Big grin) Yep.
Virgil: -er, I don't know--
Dante: But one of them died first.
Virgil: Who died first?
Dante: Crispy Attack-us. (Huge grin)
Virgil: Crispus Attucks?
Dante: Yup.
Virgil: Wow, Dante, I'm glad your teacher taught you that. Most people don't know that. Did you know that he was also black?
Dante: ::shrug::
Virgil: So the first person who died in the name of the revolution was a black man.
Dante: "Give me liberty, or give me death!!"
Virgil: You don't care, do you?
Dante: Nope.
Virgil: Sigh.
Dante: Then people wrote their names on a paper--and one guy wrote it really big.
Virgil: And who was that?
Dante: JOHN HANCOCK!!!!
Virgil: I'm sitting right next to you, and now I'm deaf, thank you very much.
Dante: ::giggling::
Virgil: What was the paper called?
Dante: The Constelution.
Virgil: ?????
Dante: ::giggling::
Virgil: What did it say?
Dante: Give me liberty, or give me death!!!
Virgil: Is that your way of saying you want to be excused from dinner?
Dante: Yes.
Sigh. I know he knows this stuff. But he much prefers torturing me with the question of whether or not he knows stuff. Argh.
-- Virgil
posted by contemplator at Wednesday, March 12, 2008
11 Comments:
Shouldn't that be [i]Tomato to-MAY-to[/i]?
;p
Oh and I can't make up my mind if I'm predominantly LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL or SPATIAL OR VISUAL or INTRAPERSONAL.
My blog,my pronunciation guide. :)
Well, if you don't see yourself predominantly in any one category, that's actually pretty normal. Most people are a mix of styles, which is why it's important for modern classroom teachers to build those styles into their pedagogy. It's actually much more rare that people are like me and Dante--very predominantly one style. I mean, I can do things other ways, obviously, but if you set me in an intrapersonal setting, I am just much happier, I get done faster, and I do so much better than if you ask me to do any of those other styles.
Which is kind of funny, because you wouldn't think an intrapersonal learner could make a good teacher; :D
Have you reminded him of the rewards/troubles associated with relative performance in education?
He is well aware of them. And I'm quite sure his response would be, "Give me liberty, or give me death!!"
Well, since your son likes to quote the founding fathers, as well as speak highly of freedom, do you know if has he heard of this quote?
"And say, finally, whether peace is best preserved by giving energy to the government or information to the people. This last is the most certain and the most legitimate engine of government. Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. Enable them to see that it is their interest to preserve peace and order, and they will preserve them. And it requires no very high degree of education to convince them of this. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty. "
--Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1787.
I doubt my ten year old, highly energetic son has either heard or read letters from that time period. What is your point? (Not that I haven't figured out where this was going a while back.)
Oh? Only Ten. I probably should not have used such a long quote. The point I was trying to make is that I was simply wondering if he knew that education is a critical component of liberty.
At ten, all he really wants to know is what's for supper.
Sad to say, I remember reading somewhere that public schools have been declining in quality. Despite the fact that they have been spending more money, even adjusted for inflation.
Overall, that is very true (although obviously you can find exceptions). I consider it VERY lucky that we have the teacher we do right now. He's done wonders for Dante. Dante has had three good teachers in his life. And a whole bunch of bad ones. I wish there was some consistency.
I think the best one he has is the one who he goes home to every afternoon.
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