Penguins and Emotion

The other teachers had one question for me today during the staff meeting.

"What in the hell were you doing today?"

Apparently, the quiet grandson (as Grandma Shannon so lovingly refers to me) was heard in all of my classes.

So I was explaining to them that in one class we were discussing Tuesdays with Morrie.  In the section that they read for homework, Morrie presents the idea of being "fully human".  So one student says that this means that we should be differentiated from animals.  I then asked how.  Then another student presented the idea of heart.

So then we discussed how with the three concepts of physical, mental and emotional well being, all living things can have physical well being including plants and animals and humans can have mental well being, but it is humans that really have the power to develop emotional well being.  One of my girls presented the argument that animals can feel emotion.  So I countered with "why do two penguins get together?  Is it because one penguin waddled up and was like 'Hey chicka let's go get some anchovies and snowcones tonight.'"  The entire time I'm saying this I'm waddling and and putting a little penguin swagger into it.  This impression of penguins went on for probably only a minute or two, but my students were literally bent over laughing.

The best part was the teachers were laughing heartily as well during the recounting.  At the end of which they both replied that they were definitely glad that they asked.

Charlie was definitely helping me out in class today and he stole the show.