This kid’s response to a classroom riddle is surprisingly deep
Teachers are always looking for clever ways to engage their students on a deeper level. But sometimes, students take the material a lot deeper than teachers ever intended! Such was the case when teacher Bret Turner posted this riddle on the board of his classroom:
“I am the beginning of everything, the end of everywhere. I’m the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space.”
Wow. That’s a tough one. Especially for first-graders. What ever happened to “Who’s buried in Grant’s tomb”?! But questions of age-appropriateness aside, let’s all think about what the answer might be. Come up with anything? When you’re ready, scroll on down to see what Turner’s students came up with.
https://twitter.com/bretjturner/status/948336006054395904
LOL! Yep. The answer was merely the letter “e,” but as you can see from Turner’s tweet, one of his kiddos took it in a much deeper (and darker) direction. Nor was this particular first-grader alone in his existentialism. Other students in the class had similarly deep reactions:
https://twitter.com/bretjturner/status/948600046156591104
Wow. Who knew 6-year-olds were so in touch with the eternal angst of the universe?
As for his tweet thread going viral (it has been re-tweeted over 85,000 times), Turner had this to say:
https://twitter.com/bretjturner/status/948733803819757568
Hey, you gotta appreciate how well he knows his students. It takes a lot to impress a classroom of mini-Nietzsches.
Meanwhile, the viral word riddle has given rise to lots of puns from Twitterer users:
Should be giving the kid an "E" for effort…
— Avi Greenberger (@iamavig) January 3, 2018
"E" is also for existentialism
— Bobbie Bees (@BobbieBees) January 3, 2018
Also for ennui
— Lonely Catholicism (@bythos) January 3, 2018
"E" for excellence pic.twitter.com/vmzrjOo340
— al (@agizzlefizzle12) January 4, 2018
No word on whether Turner has any future riddles planned for his students, but if you enjoyed his brainteaser, try some of these:
You can see me in water, but I never get wet. What am I?
(Answer: Water.)
The poor have it.
The rich need it.
If you eat it, you’ll die.
What am I?
(Answer: Nothing.)
I fly without wings. I cry without eyes. What am I?
(Answer: Clouds.)
[h/t: Mashable]