Seriously?

When teachers introduce a new idea or theme we do a KWL chart. The K stands for "what we know" about the subject, the W stands for "what we want to know" and the L is used later and it is for when we discuss "what we learned". Of course, if you are a mom or a teacher you know how very literal small children (and sometimes husbands) are. So one morning we began a study of what a map is. We were discussing what a continent was and how it was different from a country. Second graders still think that Colorado is a country and the Atlantic Ocean could very well be a state. My objective was for the kids to become more familiar with the world map.

We had filled in the chart in the "what we already Know" and it was a very short list. After a long involved lesson that even ended with a little contest to see who could name the 7 continents, a look at the map, a look at a globe, coloring each of the 7 continents on our maps a different color, it was time to fill in the column on the KWL chart labeled "What we want to know". And to their credit, there were some interesting questions to add to tomorrow's discussion. "So what else would you like to know?" I innocently asked. A little boy in the back of the room raised his hand and said,"What I want to know is how they get those big screen TVs into their houses? Do you think they shove them in the window or what?"

Another "run out of the room" moment in a teacher's life. But this time not to laugh but to sob on a colleague's shoulder. But I took a deep breath. I HAD asked what they wanted to know. I had NOT qualified it with "about maps". Just another time that I had not been quite as literal as they were. I was careful to be more specific the next time.