Popcorn Snow

We've all experienced it,... you're at home doing your own thing, when suddenly you are hit with the smell of buttered popcorn floating through the air. Go ahead, take a few moments to breath in deeply and test your olfactory senses. The smell is intoxicating, mouth watering, and says to the body, it's time to relax and enjoy a good movie or book while munching on some corn.

The picture changes,... I'm in school teaching metric measurement to 21 eager learners who suffer from one form or another of metric measurement phobia, only because they had their parents say, "I hate metrics! Didn't get it when I was in school and I don't get it now. Nobody uses metric, sept those soft drink companies and Canadians. Good luck, you're on your own!"

"As we learn to count to ten, we discover that there are ten millimeters in a centime... ,"

"WHAT'S THAT SMELL?" one student blurts out.

"POPCORN!!!" others cry in unison.

"Where's it coming from? Do we get popcorn today? Will they bring it before recess? What time is recess? I LOVE popcorn! " the comments and questions begin flying.

"Okay. I have no prior knowledge of moms making popcorn for us today, but I do smell it as well. If they bring it to our classroom, then it will be here,... and we'll eat it. If not,... then we won't,....... eat it," I find that being real specific with directions and information helps somewhat, sort of, possibly, perhaps. "Let's get back to metrics for now. We have the 10 millimeters which make up 1 centimeter (pointing at the overhead screen with ruler displayed). You then have 10 centimeters which make up a decim...,"

"LOOK! SNOW!!" a window sitter calls out, drawing attention to the snow blowing around the playground.

"Oh, COOL!" a boy begins to lean over his desk in order to get a closer look at the snow fall.

"People, we all know what SNOW looks like! Remember what Mr. Kelly said. We don't need to get all excited each time it snows!" my teacher want-to-be jumped in on the action to remind the kids what I had said days before when it snowed the first time. What I had actually said was, it's exciting to see snow fall for the first time of the year, but let's not get hung up on it for twenty minutes jumping up and down pointing at each individual flake - let's take it in and move on. Which is what I was attempting to do with the metric system - unsuccessfully.

After the go-ahead finger point, head nod by my little room-mom of a student and the room settled back down to a dull buzz, I noticed a kid in the back of the room waving his arm in the air as if he were about to burst. A good question or answer is like helium for the hand in a classroom; the better the question or answer, the higher the hand goes,.. literally raising students out of their chair - I've seen it with my own eyes several times. "Yes, what is it?"

"Mr. Kelly, I got it! They are making popcorn to celebrate the snow!!" And there it was,... the double whammy. The mention of popcorn and snow all in one sentence - the class was gone!