In my district, third grade gets the honor of teaching the salmon life cycle. I'm sure to the average reader at home, the salmon cycle may seem somewhat harmless. Today's annecdote illustrates the dangerous potential of this topic.
We started off today's lesson with a description of a female salmon laying her eggs after just having spawned. After some time pondering this, a student raised her hand.
"Why does it take humans so long to mate, when it only takes salmon just a few minutes?"
Misunderstanding her question, I responded by explaining that neither species is fully developed instantly. That with humans, the egg develops inside the female for nine months, and with the salmon, the eggs develop after they've been laid outside the female, and that it takes them several months, too. Next question.
Clearly, that was not what she was asking, because she returned with:
"No, I mean that it only takes salmon a few minutes to mate, and it takes humans like a day."
Hmm... Either she has misunderstood some part of the human reproduction process, or she knows something I don't know. Cause for me, the longest I ever got was like 20, 30 minutes, tops.
God, what I'd give to be a fly on the wall during their dinner conversation tonight when her parents ask her what she learned in school today.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Hey!! This was actually our dinner conversation last night. I was cracking up as I told Jon all about your lesson.
:) Kim
20-30 minutes tops? Did you mean while you were in a stream or was that anywhere?
Post a Comment