Ninth graders are going to start reading The Most Dangerous Game today. One of their questions is about a “booby trap.” As I considered that phrase, my brain made the leap back to last year when our yearbook photo editor was placing a picture of blue footed boobies on her pages about the summer trip to the Galapagos. I had not ever heard of these birds before. They’re quite beautiful, beautiful blue footed birds. I’d never seen blue feet on a bird before either.
So, suddenly now, I am wondering if the etymology of the phrase “booby trap” is related at all, which prompted a Web search. If my students are as curious as I was, they’ll click on the link to learn more.
The main point that I want to make by posting about my discovery is to remind myself and my students that our brains learn by making new connections. Since I’d not know about the birds before last year, I’d never known there was a connection to make. Students ask all the time, how will I use this. New ideas and information are always important. We never know what will spark a new connection. Why would we ever want to just shut out the world and what we can learn from it?
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