"How did you know that???" a student asked me the other day when I predicted exactly what he was about to say.
"I've known a lot of sixth graders," I shrugged.
He was unconvinced. "How many?"
"Maybe 2,000?" I guessed.
"What???" another student exploded.
"No way!" someone else said.
I shook my head. "You guys know how long I've been teaching," I reminded them.
"Twenty-five years," someone piped up dutifully.
"Right," I said. "Let's do the math. I have 85 students right now; let's say that's the average." And I wrote the multiplication problem on the board. Solving it together, they were momentarily impressed.
Then the statistic flew out of their 11-year-old brains, which was fine, because I knew it would.
"I've known a lot of sixth graders," I shrugged.
He was unconvinced. "How many?"
"Maybe 2,000?" I guessed.
"What???" another student exploded.
"No way!" someone else said.
I shook my head. "You guys know how long I've been teaching," I reminded them.
"Twenty-five years," someone piped up dutifully.
"Right," I said. "Let's do the math. I have 85 students right now; let's say that's the average." And I wrote the multiplication problem on the board. Solving it together, they were momentarily impressed.
Then the statistic flew out of their 11-year-old brains, which was fine, because I knew it would.
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