Friday, November 30, 2012

Tap dancing African Americans in November

So I spent this morning arguing with Calla that Bill Gates was not an African American tap dancer.

She came in and proudly proclaimed that she learned some stuff at school this week.  So I asked her what.  Fractions, Abraham Lincoln and that the word instruments is really hard to spell and why is it on her spelling test?  Sorry Charlie, I can help her with the spelling words from hell for a 1st grader and Lincoln, but the fractions are on her father to teach her because I swore on a dead relative I would never, ever, ever do fractions after I graduated from High School.  Hell, I didn't even do them in College.  If I have to measure out ingredients for cooking something that calls for fractions because I am doubling it, or worse cutting it in half,  I just press the button on my pretty pink phone and ask Siri's happy ass to convert it for me.  I might as well use it for something educational vs. asking Siri how many times a day does a Rhino  Don't even get me started on Geometry that was the other set of deceased Grandparents I swore on never to do either from that day forward as well.   

So I started going though a list of African American tap dancers in my head, Gregory Hines, Savion Glover etc. etc. wondering why we were talking about dead presidents and famous African Americans.  Isn't that February?  What happened to the Native Americans, Pilgrims and the Mayflower, it's November? 

I even gave her the benefit of the doubt and suggested that maybe she was thinking of the Apple guy who was on Dancing with the Stars.  No, she proclaimed, he wasn't black!  Oh....and Bill Gates is?

Then to make matters worse she suggested that maybe it was Martin Luther King.  Umm...maybe not.  Baby girl was really confused at this point and caught herself and said No wait, he didn't tap dance he was an Abolitionist.  Ok, so now we are back to Lincoln, but at least she was somewhat closer to his profession.

At the end of it all, I am pretty sure she was talking about Bill "Bojangles" Robinson since she  mentioned that Shirley Temple might be his daughter.  Ding ding ding.  Not the daughter, but close enough so I know what movie she is referring to now.

I am really happy that she is learning about diversity and even the Arts in the little country school bubble she goes to.  So much emphasis these days is put on Math and Science.  I know it is important too, but so is PE, Music and even instruments.  :)  I just hope they keep it up.  However with what they are already teaching her she is well on her way to becoming one of those National Spelling Bee champions.  Especially once they finally realize it is December and up next on her spelling test is mele kalikimaka.

Aloha and Mahalo my friends!


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