After the sixth grade assembly a boy came up to me and asked, "Why do poets always write about love? Never did ME any good."
"How old are you?"
"Eleven."
"Well, give it another chance, you've got time."
"Love is just a kick in the crotch." And he walked off before I could get any more senseless words out of my stunned mouth.
A teacher from NY wrote to me tonight and asked me to talk about my time in middle school -- how was it really? I honestly told her that I have spent the rest of my life trying to get over middle school. The best I could say about it is that it didn't last forever.
But how to you convince love weary 11 year olds that the sun is shining on the other side of 6th grade? Cheer up, kid just doesn't cut through his skeptical squint.
2 comments:
What really bothers me is that he used the term he did, and did it with a teacher! I really think we should start re-introducing values too parents, who then can teach them to their children.
I can think of a lot of terms he could have used that would have been worse. (laughing) Seriously, kids learn how to speak at home, but they also pick up attitudes and language from TV -- I am continually astounded by the mean insults that pass for humor. I don't think the kid meant any disrespect, he was just talking. Given his take on the subject of love, it seems it might be well for him to talk about it some more, no matter what language he uses.
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