Benisms

When I taught 3rd grade, I had a little boy in my class named Ben. Ben had the funniest sayings. They were just classic student quotes. I began calling them Benisms because, while the others in the class would say some funny things, Ben was always saying funny things.

One of my favorites is: We were talking about Solomon and his wives. I was telling them that it was wrong to have more than one wife. Ben said, "It is really wrong to have a lot of wives, because you can't be a good steward of your money if you have to feed so many wives!" The family had been talking about being good stewards at home.

I have now discovered that "Benisms" aren't confined to Ben's class. They show up in K4 as well.

The other day I had given my four years olds a game for math. They had little cards that they were putting in numerical order. As I was working with one group, I heard a little voice say "Don't snatch, Paul. It's not Christian!" They had been talking about what a Christian looks like.

They are learning to connect what they're parents are saying at home to every day happenings. But their interpretations are so simple. If only we could be that simple. If we could just see something and know that it's wrong because "it's not Christian." It is true; "Out of the mouths of babes.

Tiffany