Why is the sun hot?

Conversations with my son on the car ride to school this month:

Son: Why is the sun so hot?

Me: Well, there are many reasons. There’s um… exploding gases, and uh...Did you get your lunchbox?

Son: Why do kids in high school drive cars to school?

Me: Well…….. I’m not sure. I guess they like to.

Son: Did Dr. Frankenstein have a mustache?

Me: Well… I’m not exactly sure. We’ll check Wikipedia when we get home.

Son: Why are elementary schools always inside of neighborhoods?

Me: Well, I guess it builds community for the families and safety for the school.

Son: I wish they were close to, like, businesses.

Son: What if all the continents were connected to each other?

Me: Actually (sounding very knowledgable), many scientists think they used to be. They called it (I paused here for effect and nodded my head as I said it) Pangea.

Son: (Completely unimpressed by my vast historical knowledge) But what if they still were all connected right now?

Me: Umm. We would all be…uhh… I’ll check Wikipedia when we get home.

I see a thirst for physics, sociology, literature, geography. A thirst that often dries up far too quickly. As I listen to my 6 year old son, I am constantly reminded that my agenda is rarely his and that kids are quite capable of making their own curriculum. Somedays I just forget that fact as I stand on my soapbox in front of my classroom full of 1^st graders and preach the benefits of knowing the _ump word family, and how learning to properly make a lowercase “k” will, in fact, make you a better author.

Our students will learn despite us, in spite of us, and hopefully on those rare occasions, because of us.