Are You Smarter Than a Sixth Grader?

I know you wouldn't think it usually, but our little Jase can get quite a temper. When Emma was little and needing to take a nap she rarely fussed and if she did it was only for a few minutes and then she would fall asleep. Not so with Jase - he would fuss and howl for 10-15 minutes, at which point we would usually cave in and try something else to get him to nap. Because of this Jase was hardly napping by the time he was two and he and Emma stopped taking daily naps at about the same time. 

Well about a week ago Jase's temper got the better of him again. While playing with some mutual friends Jase and Emma got into a heated discussion. Jase claimed he was as smart as a sixth grader, basing this on his reading level. Emma, always a little annoyed that Jase is usually just a couple of steps behind her academically, corrected Jase and gave several examples of why he would not be as smart as a sixth grader. Jase got embarrassed and flustered at being proven wrong, then punched Emma just above her right cheekbone. In the process he cut his own hand, bent Emma's glasses, and cut Emma's face. (I guess next time we'll encourage Emma to do glasses without those fashionable razor-knife edges.)

So after they both spent some time on their beds for fighting we allowed them out of their rooms so that we could discuss what happened. We explained that there is a real difference between being "smart" and having knowledge. Being smart is being able to reason, understand, and otherwise figure things out. Having knowledge is something that happens over time and trying to learn new things. When considered this way, we could say that all of our kids are equally smart because they learn equally well. But having knowledge similar to a sixth grader, well I would say on average that should take about 6 years of elementary school effort and instruction. And Jase can pick up his schooling again in August when school starts and about a week after he is no longer grounded. In the meantime, it might be best if you refrain from insulting Jase's intelligence by comparing him to a mere sixth grader. Or you just might end up looking like this: