go with the flow

This morning I was working with a small group on letter identification and they just about had me rolling on the floor with laughter. While they may be slow in picking up their letter names, they are pretty quick on their feet when it comes to other funds of knowledge.

The activity that we were doing involved me showing students letter flash cards. They take an imaginary picture of the card and then write it in the air and identify it. When I showed the letter 'p' the following conversation ensued:

Me: "What letter did you just write?"

Student: " 'q' "

Me: "That's close. This letter is standing on his leg. The 'q' is balancing on his tail."

Student: "A cow has a tail too."

I eventually just told the students that the letter was 'p'. I heard all about animal tails in the meantime. Perhaps it was just a method of distraction, but I was amused and had a good time. I think they did too. Sometimes you just need to go with the flow and have a good time - otherwise, you may just miss out on a learning opportunity. I'm not sure if I found mine today, but perhaps tomorrow they'll remember that 'q' has a tail like a cow and that 'p' stands on his leg. I'll just have to wait and see.