A Krabby Kristmas Karol

Yesterday, my students and I began reading the first Stave of Dickens's A Christmas Carol. As we began compiling a description of Scrooge, one of my students, C, raised his hand:

"So, Scrooge is kinda like Mr. Krab?" he asked, a reference to Spongebob Squarepants.

My first instinct was to chastize him for being off topic, because he often is. Biting my tongue, however, I asked him to explain himself.

The comparison he drew were analysis-paper worthy. He talked about the similarities between the two characters (the obsession with the almighty dollar) and how Mr. Krab, being a crustacheon, is as cold-hearted as Scrooge. He even talked about how Spongebob's writers specifically chose a crab for the tight-fisted boss because crabs are naturally tightfisted and, well, stereotypically "crabby."

It might not have been an analysis fitting Cliff & his notes, but I applauded him for making text-to-self and text-to-world connections. I also told him he should write Nikelodian and get them to produce a Spongebob Christmas Carol special.

I'd love to hear tidbits from fellow teachers about the weird brilliance their students have come up with!