I've been tutoring children at French for some time now, and will have to hand off the 2 remaining students I have to a more available tutor once I ship out for residency. Somehow, the other day, the subject of age came up, and I asked this kid how old he thought I was. Instantly, the answer was "43". I had no idea where 43 came from so I said "uhhh....no, why would you think I'm 43?" Then he started with "Are you ...43 ? 53? 63?" And I reiterated my earlier question, to which he responded "because my Dad is 42." I asked what led him to believe I was older than his Dad, and he said it was because I was taller than his Dad. There began the child's first lesson in deductive reasoning, something I never thought I would actually end up teaching.
" If I'm older than your Dad because I'm taller than him, does that mean that everyone who is taller than your Dad is older than him?" The quick answer was "no", but I wasn't sure if he understood the logic behind it. I later found out that his Dad taught him how to tell someone's age by looking at their face and observing their physical appearance, and that he had almost forgotten the entire lesson. He really is a very smart child.
Today I had to explain to the child what a "theory" was. That was loads of fun. French lessons, or any tutoring for that matter, at an age like 7 should always come with good general guidance. It's important to instill in children a strong foundation, for they are the future of the race and with the future comes hope. Listen to me, I sound like I have one foot in the grave. I assure you, saying with a morbid grin that brings with it an understanding of the humor of doctors ... nothing could be farther from the truth. Life is good.
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