In early October, FG’s physical education class started swimming classes. The first class involved dividing the children into those who could swim and those who couldn’t. One of FG’s girlfriends decided to “dumb her swimming down” in order to stay in the shallow end with a boy she likes. If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking “Isn’t it a little early for that?”
Well, after a few classes in the shallow end, being bored out of her mind and a waning interest in the boy, FG’s friend decided to request going to the deep end where the other kids were diving and learning different strokes. Thankfully, the teacher said “no” leaving the girl to endure another few weeks in the shallow, boring end.
I can’t remember ever playing dumb for a boy and as a witness to what her friend went through, FG has learned a great lesson ~ it’ll be a long time (hopefully never) before she’ll even consider dumbing herself down for a boy.
Displaced Beachbums 
I have first hand knowledge on this one. My daughter was an Honor roll student until she hit high school 4 years ago(9th is when it gets them). She dummied down & started seeing a guy who, in her words, is “very intelligent” but when he decided to drop out mid way through his senior year, my words were “if he’s so smart he wouldn’t have dropped out with only a half semester to go!” Thankfully she graduated, but is still seeing him. I’m hoping the light bulb will come on & she dumps this guy.
Glad the instructor saw through the girl and made her stay. Bet she’ll think twice the next time.
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Good lessons…it’s funny how what happened in the pool can spill over into the classroom and into academia. It’s good to learn about some of society’s stereotypes at a young age because they do exist, and I think it gets harder to confront them as you get older if you haven’t done it before. Good for FG!
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I remember being in 5th grade and a friend gave me some “advice” about boys. I was a complete tomboy and could hold my own athletically with the boys. She told me I should let the boys win or they wouldn’t like me. I remember thinking, “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” And odder still, she was a better athlete than me and could smoke the boys in a foot race even in high school! She also told me I needed to start wearing skirts (I didn’t own a single dress or skirt) because boys liked them. Unfortunately, it seems that things haven’t changed much since then.
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Ugh, I hope my girls don’t do stuff like that, ever. I have a 3rd grader and a 5th grader. My 5th grader tells me she gets teased in class for ‘always knowing the right answer’ and because her teacher calls her the Human Encyclopedia. A boy she likes calls her a showoff for raising her hand so much. She says she doesn’t care, but can it be very far off when she starts feeling funny about it and not raising her hand?
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Sadder yet, I’m talking about a 4th grader 😦
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That’s so sad that a 5th grader would even know to do something like that. Kudos to the swim teacher.
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