what did you learn today?

“Did you learn anything at school today?”  someone recently asked my second grader.

The second grader who is my student.

The second grader that I taught that very day.

The second grader that I hope learned something from my teaching.

“No,” Scout replied.

Inside, I cringed a little.  (Or maybe a lot.)

This isn’t the first time this has happened.

And I am always anxious to step in and justify.

Explain.

Yes – you did,  I want to offer.

Remember learning about shadows?  And the book you read all by yourself  and the two sentences you wrote correctly and the picture you drew to go along with it?

Remember history, when we read about  the Middle Ages and Charlemagne and his rule?

Remember our comparison of hares and rabbits and learning about the differences between a family and an order?

Don’t you remember all of that?

But then again.

Maybe it’s okay if London thinks we didn’t actually have school today.

That isn’t all bad – right?

She just had a great day.  She played.  She learned.  She listened.  She laughed.  She told stories.  She read flashcards to her younger brother.  She read a book to Piper.  She helped Mosely arrange her alphabet cards in order across the kitchen table.  She did chores, made berry bars with me, unloaded the dishwasher, drew gobs of pictures.

Yeah – she learned something.

But she doesn’t even know it.

And that is okay.