Have you ever heard of Newton's Cradle?
Just a hint--it's not the bed baby Isaac slept in. You might not be familiar with the scientific name. Perhaps, like me, you simply refer to it as that thing with silver balls that you pull out the end one and let it go and the last ball in the line pops out. Yeah! That thing!
Today a colleague shared a cartoon with me. She had it on her phone, and I had just come in from the 13-degree parking lot after duty, and I did not have my bifocals on my watering eyes. So it took me a minute to get the joke. I felt like Elaine trying to decipher cartoons in The New Yorker. But I stopped short of drawing a pig at the complaint department saying, "I wish I was taller."
The colleague was sending it to a former teacher at our school. My co-worker said, "I've got the caption blocked out, but it says, 'Why physics teachers should not do playground duty.' " It was a drawing of five kids on five swings on a swing set. A man stood at the end, holding one of the kids and his swing off to the side. Preparing to let him go, and whack all the other kids on their swings. I don't want to post the cartoon, but here's a link.
Yeah. It was a New Yorker cartoon.
Heh heh. I saw that one posted on my nephew's Facebook page with the comment. "Why they won't let me substitute at the grade school any more." And I could actually see him trying it out.
ReplyDeleteI have outside duty every afternoon. The wind whipping at my knees. The cars veering towards my body. The kids cruisin' for a...well, they're prepared to cruise on home.
ReplyDeleteGood times.
Newton's Cradle. I had never heard the name for the silver bal thingy. Now I know. Thanks for the lesson, and I'm sorry you had parking lot duty in such crappy weather.
ReplyDeleteI saw that and almost sent it to you. I thought it was FUNNY, but my humor is warped.
ReplyDeleteThis is new to me; never heard of Newton's Cradle. But I'll think of it now every time I pass by a playground.
ReplyDeleteLeenie,
ReplyDeletePurely as research, I'm sure. Kids are always ready to volunteer for a cool experiment. I'm certain there would have been no repercussions, and he could have published his findings in a scholarly journal.
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Sioux,
Sometimes, it's like having a ticket to a no-contact demolition derby. Everyone gets a trophy.
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Donna,
Like the U.S. mail, I shall not be stopped by inclement weather. So says my contract.
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Linda,
Well...you teach those little kids. You understand that their itty bitty bones are resilient, and that nobody's gonna break a hip except maybe the catalyst to the whole impending fiasco.
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Stephen,
Come for the attempted comedy. Stay for the science lesson.