Over qualified

I think we all feel over qualified for some of the tasks we perform whether its for our job or help we offer to others. Today I got my first chance to volunteer in Grant's classroom. I showed up just as workshop time was starting so I manned the puzzle table and helped the kids with reconstructing Cookie Monster and Little Red Riding Hood. No I didn't feel over qualified for this task. I felt like a mom helping kids. Some of the help was with actually putting the puzzles together and some was with reminding the kids to rotate puzzles once in a while and try out a different puzzle from time to time. I really enjoyed my peak into Grant's world as his recounting of his school time is not always easy for me to decipher.

Before I left the class, I asked Mrs. S if she had anything else that she needed done anything I could take home and do for her. After making sure that I really didn't mind spending my time on her projects, she brought out a card that the kids will be working on soon. The front of the card had a cut out of a school house on it. Would I mind tracing the cut out and making enough for both the morning and the afternoon class? Mrs. S was happy to supply me with brightly colored paper. She even offered to send home scissors with me. Hmm... had she heard that I have an affinity for computers? I doubt it.

Back at home after a cleaning blitz on the kitchen, I sat down and really looked at the school cut out. It bothered me. You see none of the lines were parallel or square to each other. The roof lines were surely at different angles. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't just trace this cut out and proceed to whack 40 of them out of the bright paper that Mrs. S had sent home with me. No, I sat down with pencil, ruler and card stock (No not the mythical card stock from school!) and drafted a new template. Yes, I mean drafted. I measured and sketched and precisely drew in my new and improved school house. You see I have a degree in mechanical engineering. I haven't drafted with a T square since I was in high school but I have a real need to draw things precisely. When any other parent helping out their child's teacher would have just traced original and cleaned it up a bit, I had to reinvent the school house. My roof lines are exactly at 45 degrees. My door is exactly an inch wide. I figured out how to nest two cut outs on the same page so that I'd use less paper. Heck, I even did some quality control and rejected a couple of cut outs as not quite up to kindergarten standards.

Tomorrow the school houses go back to class along with my very own template. Maybe Mrs. S will like the template enough to hang on to it until next year so some over qualified "maternal" engineer won't fall into the same trap I did.