The Boot

SuziQ. You know who she is. There is at least one in every class. Little round moon face, pink cheeks, saucer sized brown eyes and most importantly the sassiest, spunkiest and most energetic girl in class.

This year, my SuziQ was online, all year. I would hear her say things like, "MOM! I'll handle it!" "What are we supposed to do again? What are we supposed to do?" "Can I share? I know something about _______" "Sorry, I was going potty, can you start over again?"oh, and my favorite... "HEY! YOU GUYS NEED TO TURN OFF YOUR MICS!" We knew we could always count on her to tell us if the sound was working, because of the five on-line kids we had, she was the only one who consistently paid attention to what was going on. She's 5.

She would come on-line in the morning, somewhat disheveled but ready to learn. But after lunch she would come back... looking like me. The messy bun, the glasses.

The first time I saw mini me looking back at big me, I had to turn off my camera and mic because I couldn't control my laughter. She even had that obnoxious piece of hair that was too short to stay in the bun, sticking up like the FU finger, just like mine. This. Was. Suzie Q.

Yesterday I was walking through my neighborhood and was lucky enough to bump into her as she was heading to the pool. At this point you should know that I was wearing a surgical shoe on my left foot (for a broken big toe), and a boot on my right foot.

The surgical shoe looks like a cheap Birkenstock knock off. but I don't mind it. It's not so noticible. Then there's The Boot. The Boot has become the bain of my existence. It's the kind of boot they give you to keep your foot and ankle stable. I have Planter's Fascitis, so in order for my foot to heal, I have to wear this big, black klunky, sweaty thing EVERYWHERE. I would take the surgical sandal over The Boot ANY. DAMN. DAY. Regardless, I still have to wear them both while I walk the dog, which is what led me to meeting SuziQ in her front yard.

When she saw me she said hi, gave me her big, gorgeous, front tooth missing smile. Then, she looked directly at my feet. "Oh no Ms. Devine! What happened?" I explained my various foot challenges to her.

She looked at my ridiculous feet again asking me to explain why I had two different shoes. Once I was finished with the shortened version of the foot fun she looked again, then looked up at me.

What came out of her mouth next is something only a five year old would say. Pointing at The Boot she said, "Well that one's the coolest because it looks like a snow boot. I like that one the best." I then asked her if I should decorate it with pink jems and a Hello Kitty sticker. She nodded and said a confident "YES!" We said good bye, and she skipped off to the pool with her dad while I just stood there, amazed again by the beauty of the five year old's brain that has yet to be corrupted with what it should and shouldn't think.

The Boot? The Boot is the coolest? I never thought of it like a snow boot. And in the 90 degree summer heat, it was anything but cool. But she was right. The surgical shoe was so... blazeeee. So...unnoticable. But The Boot! The Boot was amazing, because who gets to wear a cool snow boot in the middle of summer?

Once again, I was reminded of why young children and their brains are so beautiful. Only a young child would look at this big awful thing on my foot and be amazed by it's "coolness".

Young children look at the world differently. Young children are what Sir Ken Robinson calls "Divergent Thinkers" They can look at something and ask a multitude of questions that no adult would think of. A child can look at a plate and use their imagination to think of 20 different things that plate could be: a steering wheel, a hat, a mirror etc....An adult will look at a plate and say it's for eating off of. This, is what makes young children smarter, more curious and more thoughtful about what they see about the world in front of them. This is what makes "The Boot" cool and amazing. This, is why I will never teach to a test.

This video by Sir Ken Robinson is one of the things that opened my eyes to the brilliance of young children and the changes needed in the American education system. I believe what our school system SHOULD be doing is open ended and inclusive of ALL children. I think about "The Boot" the way I do in part because of what was trained in to me through school. Not just in my pre college days, but in college as well. To be this you have to do this. To earn money you have to do this. To live "the American dream you have to think like this. I lived the American dream. I ended up with two amazing kids but also a divorce and medication for depression and anxiety. I am now selling my American dream house and want to get the hell out of the suburbs where the American dream happens. I want to think about "The Boot" as cool, like SuzyQ. I will do this by continuing to take note of all the things my brilliant kindergarteners say and do.

If you'd like to see Sir Ken Robinson's fascinating video on why our school system is the way it is and why our children often struggle with ADHD, test failure and limited creative thinking, click on the link below. It could open your eyes. Just like SuziQ opened mine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=zDZFcDGpL4U