Emma Takes Washington

From the time she was very little, Emma loved to learn everything there was to know about topics that were interesting to her. We found this to be a very charming quality, but it did have its drawbacks. For example, Emma found the small “research” projects that were assigned in elementary school very frustrating. Students were meant to restrict their research to the identification of 3-4 key facts. The bulk of a student's time was meant to be spent on perfecting their prose. To Emma, this was all backwards.

An assignment she was given in third grade illuminated this issue for all of us. Emma was to choose a Washington landmark, find 3 key facts, and then write a 5 paragraph report. Emma chose the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and enthusiastically began collecting pearls of information about this landmark. As the days wore on, Emma’s teacher became more and more frustrated because Emma could not seem to move beyond the research phase of the assignment. Emma was also frustrated because her teacher was insisting she stop her research when there was clearly more to learn. In the end, Emma begrudgingly chose 3 of the 100 or more facts she had collected and wrote the short required paper, but it was not satisfying for her.

We were in the Washington, DC area about a month later visiting Peter’s parents, so we decided to take a tour of the Kennedy Center. We thought that might be a way for Emma to re-connect with the enthusiasm she had felt when she was doing her research. We were right.

Our tour guide at the Kennedy Center was an enthusiastic and distinguished 70-something gentleman. In order to keep everyone on the tour engaged in his spiel, he had adopted a practice of asking rhetorical questions at various points during the tour. His plan was to get you thinking, even allow you take an uneducated guess, and then share his vast wisdom with you. He did not plan on Emma.

As we strolled through the various rooms, he began with the questions. “How many seats do you suppose there are in this concert hall?” he asked our tour of mostly adults. “2,442” Emma piped in. The tour guide’s smile faded just a little as he searched for the respondent. “That’s right,” he replied. “Very lucky guess.” As our tour moved on, Emma continued to answer the tour guide’s rhetorical questions. “And what country do you suppose gave this tapestry as a gift?” our tour guide asked as we approached a magnificent wall hanging in another room. “Spain,” Emma chimed in enthusiastically. “Okay,” the tour guide said, “But who can tell me the name of the artist whose work inspired this tapestry?” “Goya” responded Emma without hesitation.

By now, the rest of our tour was both amused and intrigued by the little duel that was unfolding between Emma and the tour guide. For his part, the tour guide was getting visibly irritated that a little twerp was stealing his thunder.  Emma, however, was blissfully oblivious. This is what she had been waiting for; a chance to share all those facts that she had collected and stored in that brain of hers. And she was loving it.

The tour concluded in the grand foyer and the tour guide was determined to end on a high note. You could tell that he thought he had a question obscure enough that even Emma would not be able to answer it. He pointed to the magnificent Orrefors crystal chandeliers and looked Emma square in the eyes.  “How many bulbs do you think are in all of the chandeliers hanging in this foyer?” he asked with an almost sinister grin. “8,000,” Emma answered confidently. “No,” he snapped. “There are 8,500!” He was happy now. He ended the tour with a smile on his face, wishing us all a pleasant stay in Washington, DC.

As we headed back to the car, Emma felt the need to comment on the tour. “Boy, that guy was a little grumpy. And, I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but he was wrong about how many bulbs there are in those chandeliers. There are 8,000.” And you know what? She was right.


Take a virtual tour of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts by clicking here