Shoutout to childhood

 As an education major, I’m required to attend music classes at one of the local elementary schools and observe classroom procedures. Generally, the experience is about as awkward as it sounds; I sit on a chair toward the back of the room, notebook in hand, and just watch as the teacher tries to corral a bunch of kindergarteners who keep glancing furtively at me, like they never knew college students were a thing. The only time I get to directly interact with them (usually by just waving and smiling) is when they all arrange themselves in “line order” and wait to be released.

Last week, some of the kids were brave enough to actually say words to me! Our conversation went something like this:

“Why are you here?” asked the two-foot-tall boy who’d insisted on giving me a hug the first time he saw me.

I made my reply as provocative as I could without sounding too creepy.

“To watch you guys,” I said. The kids chittered.

“Why?” one of the girls asked.

“Because you’re interesting.” I raised my eyebrows as they all laughed, apparently delighted at the outrageous notion that someone found them worth watching.

Ah, childhood. Sometimes I forget what bizarre, amusing creatures kids are–and, more importantly, what it’s like to be one of them.

Which brings me to this poem.

 

Easy to Please

What brings a flock

of bright-eyed elementary schoolers

to a college campus for a field trip?

Ask their teacher

and the answer will be something like:

“Your science department

with its planetarium

and instrumental chemistry labs

is such a fine establishment.

These children

came here to hear about Pluto

and to engage in that age-old discussion:

‘Is it a planet?’

A learning experience.”

She’ll nudge forward

one of her brightest

to inform you

what he liked best about his journey

into this realm of research

and higher education.

He’ll say something about how

interesting it is-

the thing about Pluto.

But later on

he and his friends will still be exclaiming

about how cool it was

to eat in the university cafeteria

surrounded by all of those prestigious college kids

and how-

get this-

in the cafeteria,

they serve ice cream

every day.