Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice,
That's what Little Girls are made of,
Made of
Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails,
That's what Little Boys are made of,
Made of
People truly seemed to believe this rhyme. And, when I was younger, it really irritated me.
It was simply unfair. I did not run around in circles. I did not attack people. And I was a very good listener. People always knew this about me after a while, but (even if they weren't talking about me) it still rubbed me the wrong way whenever adults and girls rolled their eyes and said, “Boys.”
Nonetheless, I now look at my drama class of 6-9 year olds and I wonder, What is it about the boys? Today, in order to actually accomplish something in the thirty minutes of time that we have allotted to us, I took the three boys over to play a drama game, while I let the girls pair up and work on a project that I had laid out for them. This worked out rather well. The boys didn't have to focus quite as hard and the girls didn't have the boys to distract them.
Of course, I didn't set out to separate the boys from the girls. I wanted to separate the crazy people from the the people who had the ability to concentrate. Obviously, not all boys are maniacs at the age of seven. And I know at least one fifteen year old girl who still runs inside of buildings like a wild horse. So, in the end, it all depends on the specific children that one is working with.
Therefore, I try to avoid expecting that all girls are refined sugar cookies. Just as I also try to avoid expecting that all boys will come in, dripping with mud and wagging their puppy dog tails. In fact, I try to avoid expecting anything. Because, who knows? People are amazing, and they break all expectations.
Thank you for reading.
Zachary W.
P.S. Please, stop reading my column. Now.
P.P.S April Fools! (Seriously, don't stop reading!)
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