The school year hasn't officially begun (it starts today, but this week's posts are from last week), but the continuation high school has been in session for about two weeks. I haven't been seeking out jobs, but when one falls in my lap, I take it.
Social studies. Sixth period. (The classes are all combined, so each class has students who are doing geography, world history, U.S. history, and government.) They had various assignments, depending upon which subject they were in.
But afternoons at the continuation high school are... um... interesting. (Read: they're way more laid back and less likely to work.)
I was walking the room, taking attendance, when I noticed a girl winding a yo-yo. From the conversation, I gleaned something...
"You've never played with a yo-yo?"
I asked the student straight out. She admitted that she had not. (It wasn't her yo-yo, but the other student was letting her play with it.)
Now, normally I'm all about "put that away" when it comes to toys. But this was a senior--17-years-old--and she had never... Okay, time to fix that.
She threw it down, and it didn't bounce back up. She was seated, so when she threw the yo-yo, it hit the floor. That would not do. I had her stand up. (She was a bit embarrassed to stand up, but no one was really paying that much attention to her.)
She threw it, and it bounced back up. Yay. Success.
And then she gave the yo-yo back to its owner.
As I walked away, she was explaining to her friend how her parents had just never gotten her one. I mean, I can see that. A yo-yo isn't something that everyone experiences. I guess...
But yeah. At least she got to use a yo-yo once.
I remember the yo-yo, and the slinky. School is in already? Yikes, time flies.
ReplyDeleteWe've gone to the weird mid-western schedule where school ends at the beginning of June and starts at the beginning of August. We're still getting used to it.
Deletehaha...so never gives you a chance. I think that was nice of you. I never was good at yo-yo's. Never got the grove of it. Welcome back to school. Yesterday I heard that 38 or our 95 counties in TN are back in school....more by Friday.
ReplyDeleteI never learned any tricks. I could just make it go up and down. But if you've never done that... I mean, I couldn't let her not at least do it once.
DeleteI can't believe there's a kid who hasn't played with a yo-yo. Not that they were all that fun (I could never make them do anything).
ReplyDeleteYo-yo’s used to be everywhere, but I don’t see them as much these days.
ReplyDeleteYeah, they really aren't. So, I shouldn't be shocked she's unfamiliar. And yet, I was.
DeleteHow sad. I shouldn't connect the two, however, a parent that doesn't engage with their child enough to even get them a yo-yo may be a child that ends up in continuation classes. I interned at a juvenile hall library, and some of the teens had never been in a library before. I believe that was a connection too. A lot of schools have fun assemblies with yo-yo yo-yoers, at least when my kids were young. Maybe no time for fun assemblies any more. Libraries did to, then again, parents need to be involved.
ReplyDeleteI know... "to" should be "too." :)
DeletePossible. It might also be a cultural thing. I don't know. I didn't want to distract from school work too much, but I couldn't let her not at least try it once.
DeleteI wouldn't be surprised if she remembers you, and her first yo-yo experience, for the rest of her life!
ReplyDeleteYo-yo reminds me of my childhood. It was such a craze before.
ReplyDeleteIt goes through periods of popularity.
DeleteI never got the hang of making a yo-yo work. lol
ReplyDeleteIt does take practice. I can get one going, but I can't do any tricks.
DeleteMy childhood was during one of the periods of popularity of the yo-yo. I was never that good. I could easily see a teenager nowadays not being familiar with one. I’m happy you let her try it out. One never knows what spark that might ignite one day.
ReplyDeleteYeah, yo-yos haven't been a thing for a while, so I can see how she might have missed playing with one.
Delete