Our Respected Elders

This week is Grandparents' Week at our school.

Basically, it's a P.R. exercise. Our administration feels that the grandparents of the students we teach are influential people. If they spend an afternoon in a modern classroom with the kiddies, they will develop a good feeling about the education system. They will convey that opiniol to one and all, aiding public opinion regarding education.

This afternoon, our kindergarten class hosted their grandparents. The teacher had spent a substantial amount of her time planning four different activities for the students to do with their guests. The activities were arranged in stations around the room, and the plan was for the students and the grandparents to circulate throughout the activities, spending about 15 minutes at each one.

One of the activities - evidently the most popular - was to make a finger puppet. Mrs. N. had the instructions posted for six different puppets, but there were sufficient materials (and time) for each student to make only one puppet. Each student would have to choose which style to make with their guest.

Well, one grandpa in particular seemed to enjoy making finger puppets, for, as Mrs. N. circulated around the room, she spied him working on his third puppet. With what we in education circles call a "primary smile", she reminded everyone at the table, "Please remember, only one puppet each - or someone won't get a chance to make one."

Thinking she had done her job, she continued to circulate.

A short time later as she was again making the circuit, she returned to the puppet-making table just in time to see Grandpa start a fifth puppet. Evidently, he was hoping to have the whole set.

She began to gather up the materials and place them away from the man who was quickly becoming her "favourite" grandparent. She looked him in the eye and pointedly told him it was time for him and his grandson to try another activity.

As Grandpa returned her look and continued work on finger puppet #5, he replied, "I don't think so."

After the fact, Mrs. N. told me that she had absolutely no reply to that. In fact, after stewing about it for over an hour, she still hadn't formulated a response in her mind. This man was her elder, the kind of person, she told me, that her parents had brought her up to treat with respect. How do you reply to complete disrespect with respect?

And just what is this man teaching his grandson? That if you don't want to do what the teacher says, you just don't do it. In fact, you look her in the eye and tell her that you have no intention of doing it. So there.

By the way, once other grandparents noticed what this man was doing, they also began to make more than one puppet. And just a little later, Mrs. N. saw two grandmas put some of the craft supplies in their purse - for later.

I don't often use these letters because of what they symbolize, but tonight, regarding this situation, I've just got to write them: WTF?!

By the way - wish me luck.

Tomorrow is my class's Grandparents' Day.

Hurray, hurray!


(Wow - ending with rhyming couplets! I'm a poet and I didn't know it.)