Seventeen Giraffes (Sometimes Kids Can Help Teachers Learn)  Words and Music by Bill Pere I worked on this problem so long The teacher said my answer was wrong She said "Take seventeen giant giraffes, I get one ninth, you get one third, Elmo gets half. It seems you don't know know how to divide!" And then she took me aside... She looked at me, a stone cold face, very stern But sometimes kids can help teachers learn She said "One ninth of seventeen is one point nine.... That many giraffes will be mine... One third of them is five point six -- Look them over, then you make your picks Half of them is eight point five -- " I said "But don't we all want them alive?" She looked at me, like I spoke out of turn, But sometimes kids can help teachers learn. Now I didn't have to write a great thesis To know you can't cut giraffes into pieces I said "Let's borrow a giraffe from a friend We can give it back to him whole in the end... And look how that gets things resolved. And this problem can neatly be solved!" She looked at me, I said "No cause for concern... Sometimes kids can help teachers learn." I said "One half of eighteen is nine One third is six , that's just fine One ninth equals two, and I'm on a roll Cause that's seventeen giraffes, and they're all whole! Then give back the borrowed one and that's eighteen, And everything's right, you see what I mean?" She looked at me, the corners of her mouth start to turn... Sometimes kids can help teachers learn... © Copyright Bill Pere,  All Rights Reserved