Mrs. Adams

When I was in the 3rd grade, our teacher, Mrs. Adams, who was otherwise a really likeable teacher, told us we could remember how to spell "friend" because "friendships always 'end.'"

I thought that was a horrible thing to say.

We weren't even talking about spelling. It was in the middle of a science lesson or something. She just tossed that jewel out there. I've never had trouble spelling "friend" though. But, I can't write or say the word without remembering that day.

Here's another one that messed me up:

I went to a basketball camp once in my life. It was one of those one week, every afternoon, learn how to dribble and shoot etc. I was in the 7th grade. On day one, the coach sat us all down and held up a basketball. He asked, "Doesn't it look like 2 of these could go through that hoop at the same time?" The implication being that if the hoop was big enough to fit two...how much easier one would be. Everyone else seemed to have an epiphany. "Yeah!" they said. With vigor. I didn't say anything because it looked to me like, if you set them both up there side by side and pushed, maybe you could squeeze them through, but I doubted it. I did horribly at basketball camp. I tell people I have a natural inability for the sport.

I just looked it up: A regulation hoop is 18 inches in diameter and a regulation basketball is 9. So... Whatever.

While I'm all for an interdisciplinary education, I don't think we need to combine the field of spelling with the likes of nihilism and philology. I also have no problem really with avoiding non-Euclidean geometry during basketball practice. Kids should get a chance to just be kids, you know?