Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Mike Who?

In the trenches of homeschooling, there are those times that make you laugh absurdly. Most of the time, when you tell someone else, they give a polite "Ha, ha..." and look at you wondering what you were drinking at the time that made the situation so funny. I hope that I can relay my absurdly funny story from yesterday in way that you will find funny...

We were beginning a study on the election process. This study will continue sporadically through the year as different events occur during this election process. But you have to start somewhere, right? So I logged on to the trusty computer and found a website that I felt explained the election process in a kid friendly way. Even with the simplicity, the explanation of the National Convention, the Electoral College, popular vote, etc. was somewhat dry. I tried to make it as interesting as possible, but this is a subject that a majority of adults are not even clear on. The boys (4th grade and 3rd grade) were really listening and I thought they were following pretty well. I picked a candidate to use to illustrate my point, hoping to make it a little more personal. So, I picked Mike Huckabee. That way when I explained that if Huckabee won the popular vote in Texas, all of that state's electoral college votes went to him, it would seem a little easier when they were able to relate to a person instead of "The Candidate".

Or so I thought it would be easier...

I was almost to the end of my explanation, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, when my 3rd grader had a confusing thought (I knew this because I saw the confusion written all over his face.) He was trying to process...he was trying to make it all work in his mind...and, finally, a hand went up in the air. I thought this was GREAT because it meant he was thinking. He needed clarification on something, but it WAS processing. With the seriousness of a news anchor investigating the most important story of his life, my child says, "Is Mike Huckabee a person?"

Back to square one...

No comments: