Worldly Wisdom Elementary Style

One day my second grade students and I were discussing a story we were reading in our reader. The story was fiction about a world where their was no illness or death. Hoping to start a thought provoking discussion, I ask my class,”What do you think a world like that would be like?” Max, my deep thinker, raised his hand and said, “Crowded!” The moral to that story, Never underestimate a child’s mind.
Another time around Thanksgiving time we were discussing Pilgrims. We were saying that all of our ancestors came from another country, unless we were Native American. At the end of that discussion, I asked my students to follow up with a homework assignment for that evening. They were to go home and find out what countries their family ancestors left to come to America. The next morning only one student had is homework and was very anxious to share with the class his new knowledge. I praised him for doing the assignment and invited him to share. He said with a mischievous grin, “My family is from Mars!” Surprised, I chided him gently, “Now Max, you know that is not true.” “Tell us where they are really from!”
“Really teacher, that’s what my mom said.” replied Max. He paused and grinned as he said, “ Of course, she was mad at my Dad and my brother at the time!”