I love dealing with kids. It’s so much simpler than dealing with adults. Do you know why? Because with kids, you get what you get, and what you see is what you get. They’re usually guileless, although occasionally you’ll encounter one who’s smarter than you think. And the thing about school tests and the questions teachers ask is that they don’t always take into account inside knowledge. In other words, there may be more to a story than the teacher realizes. Just when you think you’ve got a kid figured out, they’ll come at you with a curveball you weren’t expecting. There’s just no telling what you can expect when you’re dealing with a smart kid. In the joke below, the teacher is frustrated, but as it turns out, this kid knows what he’s talking about. What would have happened if he had apples at home already, too? Hilarious!
Teacher: “If I gave you two cats and another two cats and then another two, how many would you have?”
Johnny: “Seven!”
Teacher: “No, no, listen carefully… If I gave you two cats, and another two cats and another two, how many would you have?”
Johnny: “Seven.”
Getting frustrated, the teacher rubs her temples and takes a deep breath.
Teacher: “Come on, Johnny, you’re better than this. Let me put it to you differently. If I gave you two apples, and another two apples and another two, how many would you have?”
Johnny: “Six.”
Teacher: “Good. Now, if I gave you two cats, and another two cats and then another two, how many would you have?”
Johnny: “Seven!”
Teacher: “Johnny, where in the heck do you get seven from?!?”
Johnny: “Because I’ve already got a freaking cat!”
