A Spoonful of Naive [11.4.08]

Today's occurrence happened during my observation. Because of the Presidential election, the students were especially interested in learning about the voting process. The teacher decided to have an open discussion where the students could ask any question they wanted to about the voting process. Every student had something interesting to say, except for one. I figuratively kicked myself for be so naive. I knew that the students were on a roll, but how could I forget the fact that every classroom has "that kid"; the one who knows too much for his own good and in return seeks no approval from anyone. When it was time for the class to have a mock election, he simply commented on the fact that none of the students' votes truly matter because they do not affect the real election. In a matter of seconds, he single-handedly squashed the focus and motivation of the entire class. What a party pooper.