Tuesday, January 20, 2009

First Grade Advice for President Obama

Today has been full of hope, excitement, advice and anticipation.  So many offered their predictions for our future.  But no one amidst any of the television or radio coverage of the inauguration offered the solid, practical advice of my first graders.  

 I picked them up early from lunch so they could see the history unfold before their 6-year-old eyes.  President Obama had their complete attention.

"Where is he now?"  someone asked.  
They all leaned forward in their desks, trying to spot him doing something presidential.
One boy said, "I think he's taking a tour.  He has to start work tomorrow so he has to find the front of the building and his office."  
Someone else nodded.  "He's probably finding the lunch room--and the bathroom."
"Yeah, the bathroom."
"Then he's going to that thing like Cinderella's ball."

One of the boys stared really hard at the president and said, "If I was him, I'd go eat in my office."  (Duh!)  Snacks are a big part of a six-year-old's day.  Someone else added, "I'd eat a hot dog and do my job."

Truly, nobody filters out the excess garbage and sums things up like a first grader.  One girl said, "I'd change the rules, eat cake and help the country."  



2 comments:

Penny said...

Oh. My. God. Put these kids in the Administration NOW!!! (Especially the cake-kid. There's got to be a committee chair just waiting for that kind of genius.)

Jame said...

My kindergartener, who we affectionately call "the negotiator" (nothing against William Shatner), must have learned something about power differentials and one-up-manship. She said I need to take a break on TaB and I'm like, WHO says? Her answer: Barack Obama says.

In her mind, she's thinking, who has more power than mommy? Hmmm...Daddy? No. Nana? No. My teacher? No. She just skipped right over the police, and town/state government.

Also, she thinks he became president because she "ate the cookie" meaning a cookie with a photo-icing picture of him. That was her vote (because she let her sister eat the Sarah Palin cookie, and the other two guys "looked mean").