Skating

The kids have been rollerskating for half an hour a day at school for the past two weeks, in preparation for their Christmas trip tomorrow to the skating rink. Parents have been helping with the lacing. I went on Monday and Wednesday of this week and the difference was amazing-- from a comedy of slipping and sliding to something quite close to competence.

Monday was also hilarious for the different approaches. The gym teacher would call out advice and instructions, and most of the girls would stop, listen attentively, and try to do what they were asked, and as a result were doing pretty well. The boys didn't listen to a word and were careening all over the place, some even leaping off the center mat and zooming across the floor, ending up piled in a heap. I asked Anselm why he wasn't listening, and he gave the classic answer: "I was trying my own method".

The scene reminded me of a Nature article I have often mentioned, about learning styles in young chimpanzees. These animals use sticks to dig for food, and methods differ from tribe to tribe. The females learn from their mothers rapidly and effectively, and are primarily responsible for passing on the tribal knowledge, which is highly correlated from generation to generation. The males goof around, learn slowly, and end up with a method that is less highly correlated with their mother's.