Wednesday 17 April 2013

Culture clash

We had visitors recently; children who normally go to school. They came to enjoy a session of chaos with the Gritlets. All went well, until the Gritlets started to debate whether, for that afternoon's social meet in the park, everyone should take knives

In Gritlet-code, the word knives conveys the thoughts, Maybe we're going somewhere with hazel, elder, willow or holly! I can make bows and arrows; you can make that stick we use to aim spears; we can carve patterns and Squirrel can make beads!

In school-child code, the word knives means something quite opposite. Possibly their time with the Gritlets hadn't gone as well as they imagined. Maybe - judging by the jaws of our visitors falling somewhere about the floor while their eyes goggled in terrible silent panic - knives mean, I'm going to slit you from ear to ear, puncture your belly and leave you bleeding like a stuck pig with your head on a pole.

I was a little sad when the Gritlets couldn't find their knives quick enough to take them to the park. That would have been a fine education for our schooled visitors, wouldn't it?







4 comments:

Deb said...

last night, my son drew a very elaborate picture of an Old West shootout, complete with dead guys and guns.

That would've had me in the principal's office.

Grit said...

with all the brilliance of the politically incorrect!

Unknown said...

The difference between schooled children and home educated is far clearer than I ever thought it would be. I sent my eldest two to school (they're grown up now), but my 7 year old has always been home educated. What I find most surprising is my own difference in attitude. I would never have given my eldest two knives to use, yet I quite happily hand over my penknife to my youngest. I think this is because I know she has been taught how to use them sensibly, and also because she hasn't had the negative suggestions and influences that school children often have.

Keep up the good work, Grit! :-)

Irene said...

I was educated at a school, but at a time when making bows and arrows and spears were not frowned upon. We played cowboys and Indians regularly and shot each other dead all the time. We were not politically correct, but did not discriminate either, nor exclude anyone for any reason. It seems to me that everyone had a lot of common sense back then.