Tabitha (six years old) and Griffin (on the cusp of nine) are attending a three-hour soccer camp in the neighborhood every afternoon this week. Furthermore, she has been begging to come to Tuesday night Ultimate Frisbee with me this summer. This week was the first opportunity for her to come along. It’s about a half hour ride up to Blaine so we had time to chat in the car.
Tabitha (6 years old): My group is 6 and under, but everyone is 6.
Me: Interesting.
T: Yeah. Six and under, so even a zero-year-old could play.
Me: I suppose so. But everyone is six, so there are no “unders”.
T: Daddy, everyone is under something.
Me: Huh?
T: Like you. You’re under 100.
Me: I suppose so. But then everyone you know is under 100.
T: Not the famous guy.
Me: What famous guy?
T: The oldest man in the world. He’s not under 100.
Me: No he’s not. But you don’t know him either.
T: Yes I do. I read about him in a book.
Feeling smug for having won this round, Tabitha sits in silence for a moment.
T: Are his mom and dad still alive?
Me: Whose mom and dad?
T: The oldest man in the world.
Me: Let’s see if you can work this out yourself.
T: Oh! They’re not alive.
Me: How do you know?
T: Well, his mom and dad are older than him. So if they were alive, they would be the oldest people in the world.
Pause.
T: Or, they could be alive, but younger than him.
Postscript
Quick plug: Tony Sanneh is evidently from Minnesota. He has a foundation that, among other things, offers free soccer camps in Minneapolis and St Paul recreation centers. They seem to be really positive, well run affairs drawing kids of diverse economic and cultural backgrounds. From what I can tell, they are doing lovely work that we should applaud.
Overthinking my teaching 