Kids' perception or interpretation of things that surround them is very different than how adults see them, and as kids grow up, sometimes, it will differ from what their peers understand. I experienced that when i was in grade 4.
Class newspaper
I am not sure if it was related to a class project or if it was supposed to be some extra-curricular activity, but the teacher had organized that we would have a class newspaper to share various news about the students in the class.
A name?
As the first assignment we had about this newspaper, we had to pick a name for it. On the board, everyone was invited to submit names for the paper and then, we would have a discussion and a vote for it, later on.
"L'étoile"
At the time, my dad was a hockey fan, and I would watch with him. At the end of each game, three stars were picked. I thought it would a good idea to name the newspaper "L'étoile", which is the French version for "The Star".
Ridiculous
When the time came to discuss the names suggested on the board, I remember that the other kids thought it was a ridiculous name, as if I had suggested to call it "The Moon". I tried to explain the other meaning of a "star", but they were too busy laughing at a paper called "The Star", that they just decided to scratch that suggestion as totally ridiculous. I was hurt. I still thought it was a good suggestion, and they just didn't want to listen.
The Star
Isn't it interesting that, many many years later, I heard that a very famous newspaper, in New York, was actually called "The Star"? To this day, I still think our grade 4 newspaper should have been called "L'étoile"!
Do you remember a time when you found that others just didn't understand things the way you did? Maybe you knew more than they did? Maybe you understood things they didn't? Share your story in the comment.
1 thought on “Remember when…? – Newspaper”
I remember when I was a kid I was constantly told I asked too many questions, AND, I asked follow-up questions if the answer didn’t satisfy me. Gasp! What a horrible thing! But how else do we learn? I found adults were happy to answer the first question, but a second was somehow questioning them personally, their knowledge, their intelligence. A third question drew tight lines around their lips and irratation in their voices. I used to dream of a hugh book, of necessity, draped awkardly across my lap, filled with all the answers. Anything I wanted to know without trying anyone’s patience. Finally in the 70’s I was able to get a TRS 80 computer by Radio Shack and I knew I had found “The Book”. It wasn’t much of a computer as it had been a display model and the keys stuck but it was the only one I was able to afford and to me it was Nirvana. My dear Husband asked me what I was ever going to do with a computer, “What would I use if for?” Wow! Could that have been more than 50 years ago? No one, not even my husband asks that question any longer as he had finally learned the value of instant gratification and the easy access to knowledge.