Pick Me Pick Me!

Taking advantage of the semiconductor downturn which means a shutdown week, I got to listen to my son read a story at the school's "Author Fair" today. All the kids got assigned to circles and read from books that they either write (1st grade and above) or illustrated (for the kinders). It was just so sweet first to see my son with his buddy - who a crack-up. Each kinder gets assigned a 3rd grade buddy and they do projects together (see giant picture below). Roman makes my son laugh and laugh, which is so sweet.

I was so thrilled to see how different my son is from me - volunteering right away to read the book, amazing. I do that now, but as a 5 year-old no way would I have stuck myself out like that. There were all ages, moderated by a 5th grader, who seemed to have the control by silence completely mastered, staring down two sweet girls who clearly did not want to read.

After we whipped through the books, she played some games with the kids. Bibbity Bibbity Bop, which I swear is a drinking game, and hide the penny - where one student stands in a corner and another hides a penny. The first one has to guess who, among all the giggling elementary school kids, actually has the penny. It's usually the only one actually keeping a straight face. My son has that "stretch your arm up as high as you can, with a pained and serious look which screams out - PICK ME" - down pat. He was only picked once, to hide the penny (and boy will he make a good poker player), but afterwards all he could seem to remember was when "she picked me." Ah, to be young and have selective memory.