Presidents

Today was the fifteenth day of school, so we were trading coins on our chart: 5 pennies for a nickel, add that to the dime that is on the chart, 15 cents. I pointed to the coin cutouts hanging above my head. "Which is bigger, a nickel or a dime?...That's right, a nickel is bigger. But which is more money?...Good, a dime is more money because a dime is 10 cents and a nickel is 5 cents." It was good, we were looking and connecting.

"The nickel has a picture of President Thomas Jefferson. He was our 3rd president a long time ago. On the back is a picture of his house, Monticello. Does anyone know the name of our president today?" Last year, they knew. This year, no clue. We got off track for quite a while, because I was sure I could get it out of them.

Kid 1: Thomas Jefferson?
Teacher: He was president one time, but that was a really long time ago. He died a long time ago and we have had lots of presidents since him. Does anyone know the name of the president now? He's a very important man.
Kid 2: Martin Luther King?
Teacher: That is a good guess. He was a very important man. However, he is dead. Also, we haven't ever had a black man be president yet. Does anyone know who our president is?
Kid 3: My grandma died one time.
Teacher: That is sad, when someone dies, isn't it? But we're not talking about dying right now, we're talking about presidents.
Kid 4: I was sad when my daddy died. That was a long time ago, too.
Teacher: It is sad when someone we love dies. We're going to talk about the presidents now, though. Does anyone know our president, the one who is alive and in office right now?
Kid 5: Georgia?
Teacher: Georgia is a place, not a person. But you are close because our president has the first name of George.
Kid 6: Martin Luther King?
Teacher: We already talked about him and I told you he is not the president. I really bet you know this, guys. The president is very important. He runs the United States.
Kid 7: God?
Teacher: Um, good guess. God is very important, but he runs the whole world. Our president only runs the United States, which is our country. And he is a man, that you can see.
Kid 8: Jesus?
Teacher: Remember, I said his first name is George.
Kid 9: George Clooney?
Teacher: That is a famous George, but George Clooney is an actor, in movies.
Kid 9: George Washington?
Teacher: You're on the right track. He was our first president. But he was president a long, long time ago. Our president now is George W. Bush. (blank stares) Let me find a picture on the internet...

It was a bit of a detour from coins, but I do think that knowing who the president is is important, even if I don't particulary care for some of his policies. I think I may write him a letter and ask for a picture so that I can show my kids.