Mr. Genius

Today was a Language Arts quiz and also spelling words.
I have been away from school for two days. They tried to tell me they didn't know there would be a quiz and that they were not ready for a spelling test. 

I said, "Not gonna work my little friends. You are intelligent young children and you know the order of things without being told...It is your job to be prepared."

It's a bummer when the teacher doesn't feel merciful to the neglectful; merciful she was not. And so the spelling words were given; the sad results of about half the students was what you see on the top picture. The method of earning an 80% is to do what I ask each of them that fail, also seen above...

However, I have created a genius using these methods. Let me explain...Right before story time I tell them, now would be a good time to correct those spelling words.

Mr. Genius brings me three pencils and asks for help in sharpening them. The classroom sharpener is an old manual that does a sometimes job, so I agreed. While we hold off story time, I sharpen his three pencils, hand them back to him and he goes back to his desk, then I resume reading.

After the story is over he brings this paper to my desk grinning proudly from ear to ear. "Here, Mrs. Hartman," he says. " I wrote my words," triumph is gleaming from his eyes. He turns and goes back to his desk.

Five minutes later, after everyone is settled into their lessons, I pick up this paper and study it. I think, three pencils, three times written, one time. He thinks he has gotten out of writing his wrong words three times correctly. Snickering audibly, then outright laughing, I ask Mr. Genius to please show me how he did this piece of work.

Happy to oblige, he comes to my desk with his tool/tools of choice. "This! Mrs. Hartman." he flashes it in front of my face and then proceeds to start writing on his paper.

"See, I wrote them three times, once." I can tell he thinks he is brilliant, plus he saved time in his way of thinking. Never mind how much time it took to sharpen them and tape them together so they could work in tandem. Wait, tandem is for two. 

So, I laughed, then made him take his single pencil and go write his words two more time each. This way we were both happy. I love the brain of a child.