#63 Don’t Mix Work With Play
I had a group of working-class kids to look after at an art gallery. As we waited for our tour to begin, we played on the playground. A prep school kid in a uniform approached two of my boys and said, “I bet I’m smarter than you are!” I watched to make sure that there was no fighting—my students can hold their own pretty much anywhere, and they don’t accept insults casually.
But they were cool, as one said, “No, you’re not. Are you in grade two?’ The prep school said he was indeed in grade two, and then one of my boys said, “Okay, so then we’re all grade two—so, then we’re all grade two smarts,” and then went back to climbing the monkey bars. But the prep school kid continued, saying., “I know I’m smarter. Let’s do some math and I’ll prove it.”
Their comeback was savage. The toughest kid in my room looked this kid square in the eye and said, “Well, I’m smart enough not to do math when I’m having fun on a playground.”
Credit: Earl_I_Lark