Why 5th Graders are the Best

So for the past few days, the island has been hosting 80 5th graders. Yes, you read that correctly, 80 5th graders. All from an orthodox Jewish private school in North Miami Beach (read: money money money...MONAAYY). A few hilarious conversations arose from our obvious socioeconomic differences...

Six of the girls and I discussing how we learned Spanish...
Girl 1: Well my family is from Venezuela, but I learned Spanish from my nanny. She's from Nicaragua.
Girl 2: Yeah, my mom and I speak it too because we're from Columbia, but my nanny is from Panama. She only knows Spanish.
Girl 3: My nanny is from Guatemala, or one of those poor countries. All nannies are from poor countries. She taught me Spanish...Emily did you learn Spanish from your nanny?
Me (in complete disbelief by this point): Guys, I never had a nanny! I was a nanny before I came here actually...
Girl 1: Oh my gosh, Emily you should come back to Miami and be MY nanny!

After I answered a phone call from my boss...
Student: what is that?
Me: What is what? oh, my phone?
Student (shocked): that's a PHONE?! I've only seen those in old movies! Wow! Dude...you should buy an iphone. I'm getting the iphone6!
Me: wait, I thought we were on the iphone5?
Student: Oh, I'm on the pre-release list.

But despite these differences, the thing I love about elementary school students is that they're still very much kids. They didn't care what my phone looked like, or that my sunglasses are all less than $10, they just want to hang out and play. We hunted for crabs and sea urchins in the tide pool, talked about 1D and Justin Beiber (who is so on his way OUT apparently), just like I did with the group from the middle-of-nowhere north Florida public school that was here last week. The other thing that I love about 5th graders is that they've still got that streak of brutal honesty that hasn't been hushed by manners yet...

Walking down the bridge with all the girls so their teacher can get a sunset group shot, one of the girls has her arm slung around my waist because she's too short to reach my shoulders...
Girl (squeezing my hip): Emily...is that your fat?
Me (mildly mortified): Hey! Yeah, it's just a little...squish...
Girl (hugging me tightly): I don't care, you're beautiful! and comfortable!


I LOVE 5th graders.