Shoes You Can't Wear Outside

A couple of weeks ago, I took the 7th grade outside for an activity about speed and acceleration. The activity involved walking/running around measured tracks in a specific length of time. 

Since it was a nice spring morning, it was not surprising there was dew on the grass. 

As I prepped my budding scientists about the activity, I noticed one student holding his shoes. My gaze traveled down and stopped at his stockinged feet in the wet grass. 

Interesting.

“Why are you holding your sneakers?” I asked with a smirk on my face.

“I don’t want them to get ruined,” he deadpanned back to me. 

Now I was off track (something I frequently warn my scholars about), but I plunged in with both feet. 

“You have shoes you can’t wear outside?” I asked with an incredulous tone in my voice.

“They’ll get ruined,” he repeated.

“So, you have shoes you <pause> can’t <pause> wear <pause> outside? You have shoes you can’t wear outside, do I have that right?” I inquired.

“They were expensive and if they get wet, they’ll get ruined,” he insisted.

“You know your socks are all wet, right? What happens when we go back inside and you put your wet socks inside your shoes?” I asked.

He silently stared back at me with a confused look on his face.