Carson the Smarty-Pants

Carson is very smart indeed.  He knows it as well.  On one of his math problems, there was a question that said, “How did you get your answer?”  He wrote:  I just knew. He has only missed one word on all the spelling tests he’s ever had, and has always gotten the 5 bonus words correct.  Recently his teacher gave him 3 challenge words which he also got correct. He doesn’t spell everything right, which is fine.  He has plenty of time to learn!  What was funny was that once he got home he wrote this on his paper:  I did all of them rite.    BUT, he also sometimes thinks he’s right and the teacher is not.  We’ve had a talk about being respectful and things and I hope he is learning that.  So Bailey faints—we all know this and when she faints it’s because she cries hard, doesn’t breath, and she’s out.  My mom was visiting one day last week.  Well, one of the boys in Carson’s class fainted that day and so the teacher was telling the class why.  Carson came home and told me that he had to move his fish.  I asked why and he said for arguing with the teacher.  I thought Oh no, what should we do with him!  I asked him what he did so he told me about the boy in class and how the teacher told the class what fainting means.  Me:  So your teacher told you what fainting means and what did you do? Carson:  Mom, I raised my hand.  I didn’t not raise my hand (this is a problem—he just has so much to say sometimes and doesn’t raise his hand).  I raised my hand and said, “You’re wrong.” Me:  (groaning inside and wishing my mom didn’t have to hear all this)  Carson.  You don’t raise your hand in front of the whole class and say that to your teacher.  That isn’t being respectful.  You can disagree with her but don’t do it in front of the whole class—talk to her at recess and say something like, “Well, I thought fainting was…”  So Carson, what did she say? Carson:  Well, I told her that fainting is crying really hard and not breathing.  She said it wasn’t.  (for the record, he has a great teacher that we love). So he played for a few minutes while my mom and I realized that he thinks that because of Bailey.  So my mom and I were talking about how that is what fainting is to him because that’s all he’s ever seen.  So we kind of laughed about that and I told Carson I’d explain to his teacher why he thought that but that he still needs to be respectful.  Me:  So, what happened after that Carson? Carson:  She said to stay in at recess and I had to look it up in the dictionary.   Then my mom and I laughed really hard.  It might just have to be one of those situations where you had to be there, but it was pretty funny to us.  Oh Carson, what should we do with you sometimes!?  He really is doing great…we just have to make sure he can be confident and smart, but not rude or cocky about it!