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Teacher’s Classroom Riddle Gets An Answer From First Graders That He Does Not Expect
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Teacher’s Classroom Riddle Gets An Answer From First Graders That He Does Not Expect

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Think back to your days in the first grade. What was on your mind? My thoughts never really went far beyond the simple pleasures of candy, football and my bike, so it is quite a shock to discover the deep and philosophical musings of today’s kids.

Teacher Bret Turner of Albany, California, decided to try and bamboozle his students with one of those annoyingly smug riddles, that despite its deep and existential wording actually has a boringly logical answer based on letter placement and spelling. “It was a morning brain-teaser,” Mr. Turner explained to Bored Panda. “It’s the first thing they see when they come into the classroom to get the gears churning before they start their work. We talk about philosophical themes on a first grade level all the time.”

However, there was one kid who was having no truck with such banalities. The novice Nihilist blurted out his startlingly sombre response to a hushed audience, leaving Mr. Turner at a loss for words in the presence of such profound wisdom. “When the student said “death,” there was a subdued silence that fell over the room, and I said something to the effect of “wow, great answer,” Mr. Turner revealed. “Young kids talk about death all the time; grandparents, relatives, especially pets. It’s fascinating to them, and also normal.”

Mr. Turner’s riddles often throw up the unexpected, opening doors to the unfiltered creativity that many kids possess. “A day in first grade is filled with funny, curious, bizarre, extremely deep, introspective, existential, eyebrow-raising quotes. It’s one of the best parts of the job, and rolling with it is a blast,” Mr. Turner told Bored Panda. “Guesses to riddles are always great, and often the “wrong” answers are better than the correct ones.”

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Unsurprisingly, the class was largely unimpressed when the actual answer was later unveiled. “They were not that impressed with the answer. But they love riddles, especially ones that trick you a little like that.”

You can scroll down below to check out Mr. Turner’s riddle, kindergarten Kierkegaard’s brilliant response and some reaction from a delighted internet. Also, please feel free to add your own surprisingly deep and meaningful kids quotes in the comments!

(h/t: Mashable)

RELATED:

    Teacher Bret Turner decided to bamboozle his students with a riddle, but it took quite an unexpected turn

    People reacted with amusement to kindergarten Kierkegaard’s surprisingly deep response

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    James Caunt

    James Caunt

    Author, Community member

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    James is a Bored Panda reporter who graduated with a BA in Peace And Conflict Studies and an MA in African Affairs. Before Bored Panda, he was an English teacher and also travelled a lot, doing odd jobs from beer-slinging to brickie's labourer and freelance journalism along the way. James loves covering stories about social and environmental issues and prefers to highlight the positive things that unite us, rather than petty internet squabbles about fictional characters. James is the grumpy, contradictory one who thinks that Bored Panda, due to its large audience, has a social responsibility to inspire and inform its readers with interesting issues and entertaining, well-researched stories. Let's do our bit to make our little corner of the internet a smarter, more truthful and less angry place!

    Read less »
    James Caunt

    James Caunt

    Author, Community member

    James is a Bored Panda reporter who graduated with a BA in Peace And Conflict Studies and an MA in African Affairs. Before Bored Panda, he was an English teacher and also travelled a lot, doing odd jobs from beer-slinging to brickie's labourer and freelance journalism along the way. James loves covering stories about social and environmental issues and prefers to highlight the positive things that unite us, rather than petty internet squabbles about fictional characters. James is the grumpy, contradictory one who thinks that Bored Panda, due to its large audience, has a social responsibility to inspire and inform its readers with interesting issues and entertaining, well-researched stories. Let's do our bit to make our little corner of the internet a smarter, more truthful and less angry place!

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    Marie-Eve Barette
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What a difference a year makes! I work with kindergarteners and so far, the most profound things I've heard from them this year are "I wonder why there's a booger in my mouth" and "Jasmine showed me her penis". Lol!

    Kimberly Robinson
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Riddle aside, I'm just so happy to see a man teaching 1st grade. We need more male teachers, especially at the elementary level. My hat is off to this teacher for being a great role model for these kids and for making them think every day!

    BREAK YOUr perceptions
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    in children we can find our darkest depths, unfathomed and unabashed. but we also find our brightest heights, unexpected, unashamed, immeasurable, and absolutely glorious!

    Load More Comments
    Marie-Eve Barette
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What a difference a year makes! I work with kindergarteners and so far, the most profound things I've heard from them this year are "I wonder why there's a booger in my mouth" and "Jasmine showed me her penis". Lol!

    Kimberly Robinson
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Riddle aside, I'm just so happy to see a man teaching 1st grade. We need more male teachers, especially at the elementary level. My hat is off to this teacher for being a great role model for these kids and for making them think every day!

    BREAK YOUr perceptions
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    in children we can find our darkest depths, unfathomed and unabashed. but we also find our brightest heights, unexpected, unashamed, immeasurable, and absolutely glorious!

    Load More Comments
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