An Apple for the Teacher

In the absence of television and video games (ssshhhh, the family knows it's March 1 but not one kid has mentioned the "ban" being officially over today!), my girls have found a new way to entertain themselves, and they do it quite frequently--it's called "playing school."

Now I realize that it is not unusual for children to "play house" or "play school" or whathaveyou, but I sort of thought the desire to do such things went away when they were no longer fun. That is, when you're three or four years old, SURE it's fun to help Mom fold the laundry or pretend to scrub the toilet; but when your mom is coming at you armed with a scrub brush, a pair of rubber gloves and a grimace, suddenly it doesn't seem quite as attractive as it once did.

Likewise, before kids are assaulted with tests and homework and projects, it actually seems enjoyable to pretend to sit at a desk, adding sums or practicing writing your letters. Once you're actually required to go to school . . . mmm, not so much.

Happily, I have two kids who think school is pretty cool regardless of the homework, one who likes it (but probably wouldn't cop to it if you asked him) and one who is champing at the bit to join the ranks of backpack-toting, lunchbox-carrying academics. My girls have been doing their part to satisfy Sawyer's desire to do exactly what they're doing, so on any given evening (when we're home, that is) they can be found seated in the living room, whiteboard at the ready, and the subject being taught that day varies widely. Sawyer is already quite the little speller at the tender age of five, so Peyton will often conduct spelling tests to keep him sharp. And Darcy, wanting him to be well-rounded, makes sure he's proficient in his mathematical skills.

This has all been well and good, and I love the enjoyment that all of them derive from the time spent together. But the other night I had to wonder if Darcy was taking things a bit too far, or if I have seriously underestimated Sawyer's intellect. I kid you not, as I straightened up the kitchen with an ear trained to the lesson of the day, I was astonished to hear Darcy teaching Sawyer how to calculate the circumference of a circle.

And he was listening.

Given the results of his kindergarten-readiness test a couple of weeks ago, he just may be the smartest one of the bunch!