Unexpected Reactions
One thing that seems to be common to the ASD kids at my school and my older son is a love for video games. We're talking really love it. My son will play video game music ad nauseum, his classmates marginally less so. They discuss the merits of various Pokemon characters and one girl will be called on often to 'evolve' Pokemon for others.
Today, one was telling me (as he is wont to do) how I needed to buy GameTeen a specific video game item. I declined, stating he had plenty. Then the young man offered to sell me a Nintendo DSi for $300. I pointed out that I could get a new DSIxl for about $150, why would I buy his used handheld for $300. There seems to be a kayak purchase in the future, but he has to come up with the money himself. He thought I would be ripe for the pickings, being that GameTeen loves his games.
That's when I opened my desk drawer and showed the class a confiscated DSIxl, DSI, and a vintage GameBoy, that I'd purchased in 1995 (used) from a person who was trading in all their Gameboy cartridges at Babbages. New, the things went for about $80-I got it for the bargain price of $15. My main use for it was Tetris, GameTeen plays whatever he can get his hands on.
What I didn't expect is for ten students to look at it as if I was holding up the Holy Grail! Seriously, they ooohed, ahhhed, and asked reverently to hold it. It prompted a discussion of old game systems, the systems currently in possession in my household (too many), what games I preferred to play in the arcades back then, and how much said Gameboy would fetch on eBay. Later, one young lady finished all her work and asked rather nicely if she could use it.
It was one of those things where a time machine could be used to go back to the mid 90s, get a dozen of them, then bring them back to make a bunch of students very happy.
Its not every day when something you own is coveted by your students!
Today, one was telling me (as he is wont to do) how I needed to buy GameTeen a specific video game item. I declined, stating he had plenty. Then the young man offered to sell me a Nintendo DSi for $300. I pointed out that I could get a new DSIxl for about $150, why would I buy his used handheld for $300. There seems to be a kayak purchase in the future, but he has to come up with the money himself. He thought I would be ripe for the pickings, being that GameTeen loves his games.
That's when I opened my desk drawer and showed the class a confiscated DSIxl, DSI, and a vintage GameBoy, that I'd purchased in 1995 (used) from a person who was trading in all their Gameboy cartridges at Babbages. New, the things went for about $80-I got it for the bargain price of $15. My main use for it was Tetris, GameTeen plays whatever he can get his hands on.
What I didn't expect is for ten students to look at it as if I was holding up the Holy Grail! Seriously, they ooohed, ahhhed, and asked reverently to hold it. It prompted a discussion of old game systems, the systems currently in possession in my household (too many), what games I preferred to play in the arcades back then, and how much said Gameboy would fetch on eBay. Later, one young lady finished all her work and asked rather nicely if she could use it.
It was one of those things where a time machine could be used to go back to the mid 90s, get a dozen of them, then bring them back to make a bunch of students very happy.
Its not every day when something you own is coveted by your students!
Comments