Will I Ever Use What I Learn in School?

J and I often think about how the kiddos will adjust to moving to Germany. In an effort to offset the anxiety of moving to a foreign country, J and I frequently discuss the move and all that it entails with the kiddos: hearing, learning and speaking a new language, learning about a new culture, making new friends, visiting amazing places, and adjusting to a new home away from family.

This past week, a most mundane aspect of the move escaped our attention: money. Log and Bop are learning to count and sort money in school at the moment. Bop is learning to make change using the fewest number of coins, while Log is learning to count the face value of coins.

This week, Log asked for my help with his math homework which involved counting coins. Log sometimes still finds it difficult to understand that 12 pennies is less money than one quarter; after all, 12 coins LOOK like more money than a singular offering. Trying to help Log better visualize and count the coins, I dumped a change jar onto the table. The change jar sits on our washer and is the recipient of pocket change and other coins found while cleaning. Having been to Europe, Great Britain and Russia recently, the jar also held euros, pounds and rubles.

As Log began to sort the coins, he noticed that some looked different than others and asked what sort of coins they were. Here's a snippet of the conversation:

Log: Mama, what are these coins?

Mama: Those coins are called Euros, and it's the money used in Germany and most of Europe. Our American money is called cents and dollars. (Pointing to different coins) These coins are called pence and add up to pounds. Pounds are used in England. (Pointing to the rubles) These coins are called rubles and are used in Russia. Different countries use different looking money.

Log: Do they have a quarter in Germany?

Mama: No, they have a 20 cent piece and a five cent piece.

Log: So, if we're moving to Germany and the money is different, why do I have to do my math homework and learn to count American money?

Mama: (silence)...Let's just put the other coins away.

Who would've thought that J and I would be confronted with the notion of, "Will I use what I learn in school," at age five. After helping Log sort and count American coins, he asked to look at the euros again. I pointed out that a copper colored coin about the size of a penny is really worth 2 'cents' in euros and that a 'dollar' in euros is not a bill but rather a gold and silver colored coin. Log, becoming a bit overwhelmed and wondering if he'd ever learn to count coins said, "Maybe I'll just use a debit card."