Reality Check by Dave Whamond for April 23, 2021

Wax on…wax off…

Well, boy. You has earned a black belt in painting.

Rest in Peace, Pat Morita

And nail all the nails with your knuckles.

I only know of one dojo that still teaches the Tom Sawyer move.

Well, Grasshopper, I look at it this way, you needed the exercise and the fence needed painted, so I combined it in your training…got it KID?

You’re lucky I didn’t make you pay me to paint my fence

Mark Twain would be proud

Ok; but what was the deal with blindfolding me and then having guys throw spears at me?

… and to polish my car.

Next: Teach Judo – train you how to throw bags of fertilizer.

In the East there was the tradition of the mentor. The local wise man would say, go to the city and a man there will help you on your quest. There was always a man in the city waiting for young questers, who would provide free labor while gaining wisdom. The wisest of them would one day find a young quester …

Now you may apply for an apprenticeship for the painters union or join the Navy.

Miyagi Painting, Landscaping, & Car Detailing.

“We wax off so you don’t have to.”

You could always get a job at a spa… wax on, wax off!

No, there is also the car waxing lessons.

Funny dialogue from the film:

“Daniel (not Grasshopper) : Hey, what kind of belt do you have?Miyagi : Canvas. JC Penney, $3.98. You like?”

Sorry, I haven’t seen the film, so I’m not getting the connection between karate and painting a fence. Help!

Maybe Daniel-San needs to form a picket line.

I tell my Math students this version of the story at the beginning of every school year. If you (or your teacher) think Math is only about learning numbers and formulas, you’re wasting a lot of your time. Those are just the “wax on, wax off” exercises to build higher cognitive functions like critical thinking, modeling hypothetical scenarios, pattern discernment, comparative value judgments, building a sound argument, and discerning deceptive arguments, just to name a few.