Sorting Frogs

Those first few weeks of first grade left me wondering how I was ever going to survive eleven more years. One day in early October, the class was divided into small groups of three or four children who sat in chairs at round tables earnestly considering the placement of their small plastic frogs in groups according to the teacher’s instructions–sort the frogs into groups that are the same. As she circulated among the tables, the teacher nodded in approval as each inquisitive face looked up and met her eyes before continuing with their task.

When they saw the teacher approaching, they both looked up as the others had done and grinned, looking for that same nod of approval.

Some children had glanced at other tables to see what was happening in other groups; this resulted in the majority of the frogs lined up in somewhat straight-lined sets across each table. On one side of the room, however, two boys were chatting away with each other as they leaned across their table, grabbing this frog and that frog and placing each into one of four disheveled piles. When they saw the teacher approaching, they both looked up as the others had done and grinned, looking for that same nod of approval. Instead, she stared down at the frog piles, and with furrowed brow asked the boys why they hadn’t followed her directions. Without batting an eye, one boy fervently defended their sorting technique and said that they had indeed followed directions (something they were often known for not doing).

“They are the same!” he almost cried as he grasped two from the first pile in his sticky, jelly-smeared hands and thrust them up higher so she could see. “There’s little hearts all over these!” The other boy grabbed two from another pile and chimed in, “And little diamonds on these!” A look of comprehension suddenly melted the teacher’s expression as she picked up a frog from each of the other piles and observed the clovers and then the spades on each.

They had grouped the frogs as she’d asked, just not in the way she had expected.

Glancing back around the room, she once again took notice of the lines of frogs, evenly divided into groups of red, blue, green, and yellow. Then, she looked down at the seemingly mixed piles before her and gave the look of approval the boys had so desperately wanted. They had grouped the frogs as she’d asked, just not in the way she had expected. Not even she had noticed the tiny black shapes all over the frogs beyond their primary colors, but the two boys who both had the diagnosis of ADHD had seen the plastic toys differently and had never once thought to look around to see how the rest of the students were sorting theirs. Some of the other children may have noticed the shapes, but chose to play it safe and follow the norm.

I survived those eleven years after all…and so did my son. When his first grade teacher told me this story, I knew that despite the challenges he would face, his ability to see the world from a different angle would also be an asset. I learned so much from him and his education. Appearances can be deceiving, children all have value regardless of their perceived insufficiencies, and though it’s prudent to seek advice, just copying the people around us in order to fit in doesn’t bring progress or fulfillment.

I also learned that parenthood doesn’t stop when children turn 18; I realized that when he was about ten years old. It means that even if I write all of the stories from the early years, he is still impulsive and unfocused and creating new stories every day. I hope you find encouragement and many times a laugh that might help to brighten your day.