Funny Monday: Eating Your Way to a New Blood Type

Science teacher, Mrs. K, found a creative analogy video that teaches students about blood types using a doughnut metaphor. In the part of the video that we watched in class, blood types are likened to doughnut sprinkles  For example, some doughnuts have "A" sprinkles, some "B," and some "AB." People who are blood type O have no sprinkles. Artie kept asking me what his blood type is, and I kept telling him that I didn't know but that I'd emailed his mom to ask if she knew. We learned, though, that people of his race typically have Type-O blood.

Flash forward to homeroom the next day. Artie walks into my room, hangs up his coat, comes over to my desk and announces, "I'm pretty sure I am Type-A or Type B" (Yes, children do say random things like this to me on a daily basis, so I knew right away what he was referring to. I replied that he was more likely to be Type-O, given his race, and he blew up with, "GREAT! Now I have to eat plain doughnuts for the rest of my life!  I HATE plain doughnuts!"

Moments later, in walks Gladys, who announces (before even saying Good Morning) that her mom has Type-A blood, and her dad has type AB blood, but she still doesn't know what type of blood she has. I assured her that she'd probably find out some day. Then she says, "Well, I'm pretty sure that's my mom's blood type, because she usually likes chocolate sprinkles on her doughnuts, but my dad likes all kinds of doughnut sprinkles. I like a lot of sprinkles, too, so I'm probably AB. Do you think if I eat a lot of chocolate sprinkles, I might get Type A blood?

See, now this is a great example of how, sometimes, when teaching middle school, you just have to laugh (inside). Instead, I pulled them together for a little talk:

Artie, Gladys, Mrs. K was using doughnuts to explain the four different kinds of blood; she was using a metaphor. Doughnut sprinkles actually have nothing to do with blood types. You are born with your blood type, and no amount of doughnut sprinkles is going to change it; it doesn't matter what kind of doughnuts you like or don't like.

Ohhhhhhh........ said Gladys.

Thank God! said Artie.


Here's hoping your Monday is sprinkled with clarity.

Have a Happy Monday!