Bears

We are covering osmosis in my biology class right now, much like any other biology class in my state right these days.

We do a lab with gummy bears. Students take measurements, color, volume, density, mass, etc. then place the bear in water over night- if you don't drown the little guy, you will end up with a HUGE GUMMY BEAR that has soaked up most of the water. This shows then that water travels from where there is less of it to where there is more of it, in short- osmosis.

So one boy, a senior, who is smart and lovable (I would adopt him....) licks the back of a gummy bear and places it over his heart, and I think, That's one weird kid, but, hey, he's not hurting anyone, so....whatever....and I go back to my work.

He comes in today, takes the gummy bear our of his pocket, and puts it back over his heart. And then says......


"When I was a kid I had a bear that I loved, a teddy bear. It went everywhere with me. Until I went to 1st grade. Then He had to stay home. I didn't like this and had a hard time with it. So my mother got me gummy bears. And every day for the whole 1st grade I wore a bear on my heart to help me get through the day. I loved that bear."

I could see him back in the past 12 years, needing his bear, and his mother, who should win an award for that by the way, trying to make it better.

What a great story. Gave me hope for the wretched masses, it did.