Well, we can't have a sobbing little kid. So we turned around and headed to the jungle gym for a game of Grizzly Bear with Alexander and all the other crazed five-year-olds.
This time, as I was being fed the imaginary bear treats, I felt my shoelaces loosen. I looked down and saw two little guys untying my shoes. "Okay, sharks," I said, "untied shoes can make you trip. Tie my shoes back up!"
I forgot they were kindergarteners.
"Okay, first you make an X with the laces."
"That's not what my mom said. She said that you make two bunnies that are looking at each other."
"I think you make a loop."
"Yeah! But you got to make a loop out of each string!"
"No. That's not right."
"I've never seen shoe strings like these. Have you ever seen shoe strings like these?"
"Wait. I think you cross the bunny ears over each other."
"Look! I made a knot in one string!"
"When does the bunny run around the tree?"
"I have Velcro on my shoes. Look."
"Who ever heard of a bunny running around a tree? My mom says you just make a loop. See? I made a loop."
"Um . . . guys . . . I can tie my own shoes if you'd like." But they didn't hear me. I had half a dozen little boys squatting around my feet, intent on their work and debating the merits of various methods and metaphors.
Actually, it was very peaceful standing there during recess.
6 comments:
Future engineers. They won't know how to tie shoes, but they will be able to tell you how to tie shoes - in great detail.
Theory's great; implementation's a little rough!
THANK GOODNESS that Mrs. Winn taught the kidlets this important skill. Yay for kindergarten!
Word verif: comicylo, the knot that occurs after a shoe-tying failure.
I sincerely hope they didn't get the shoes tied together.
When Xin was in Kindergarten, she would tie the other kids shoes for them.
Whoa! Lucky for you, you walked away from that ordeal! i would have loved to video it.
word verif: unturfin - what happens when those shoes get tied together.
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