Alternatives to the Daily Grind

Ian was exploring the prospect of an alternative class schedule for his upcoming second grade year at our local public elementary school:

"Daddy, next year, can I not go all five days?"

I told him that school would be a Monday-to-Friday engagement for some years to come, but he didn't give up. He asked whether there might be some students who attend school fewer than five days. I told him they're called "preschoolers."

But then I remembered that college can be a Monday-Wednesday-Friday thing, or a Tuesday-Thursday thing. [It's understandable for students to try to stack up their schedules into such minimally-intrusive silos, but I have a friend who's a college professor, and was quite horrified when he discovered that his colleagues were trying to rig their schedules along the same lines - ideally on a Tuesday/Thursday junket...]

So I told Ian that once he gets to college, he might be able to arrange his schedule into fewer than the full five days.

Ian: Which grade is that?

Me: It's after 12th grade.

Ian: Well, I'm a long way from that. I'm either 12 or 13 grades away from that.

(April 10, 2011)