Mini-Jig: Somewhere between 18 and 78

Hello there,

Yesterday in Japan (still today in the U.S.) was my birthday.  And of course, if one is a teacher, especially a teacher of small children, the first question asked once the tots get wind of a teacher's birthday is "How old are you?"

To which teachers everywhere answer "How old do you THINK I am?"

Because we want to encourage critical thinking and inquiry, you know.  

So yesterday I was asked the question "How old are you?"

And I responded, as required with "How old do you think I am?"

Let the fun begin.

One of my students yelled out "18!".  

I said "I love you.  However I am older than 18." (disclaimer:  I tell my students I love them and love being with them multiple times each day.  So no one went away thinking that I only bestow my love upon one child.  But come on...I mean, they guessed 18.)

Another student hollered "75!  My grandpa is 75!"

Before my eyes could finish rolling back in their sockets another student said "No way, Ms. Christina has no gray hair.  She can't be 75.  She's 62."

The first student scowled and said "Maybe she paints her hair.  Ms. Christina, do you paint your hair?"

I let the question pass and  said "I am younger than 62.  Guess lower."

The room filled with the numerical joy of 5 and 6 year old voices.

"21!"

"One hundred thousand hundred million!"

"29!"

"41!"

I   cut in "41 is getting close. Guess higher."

Everyone seesawed between one hundred thousand hundred million and 41 for awhile until one of the students intoned, with utter solemnity "Ms. Christina is 47."

I gave her a thumbs up as everyone began trying out that number:  "She's 47."  "47" and from our class mini-mathematician, "Forty plus seven is 47. Forty two plus five is 47.  Forty six plus one is 47....."(he continued on in this manner for  awhile, as is his habit when confronted with numbers.)

But the madness did not finish there....because for the next fewminutes everyone switched their number guessing fervor for frantic comparisons of how much older or younger I am than their parents.

"My dad is 45."

"My mom is 42.  Ms. Christina is older than my mom."

and my personal favorite

"Ms. Christina is the same age as my dad, but my dad looks  way better."

By the time the yelling faded away and the students had drifted off to other pursuits, I decided that I would file this most recent episode of Kindergarten madness under "Math".  Of course. 

Now excuse me while I take my one hundred thousand hundred million year old self off to the grocery store....

Until next time.