Bottled Water

A boy shows up from Mexico and instantly notices the water bottles. Everyone has them and he looks concerned. "Why are you drinking bottled water?" he asks. "Because I'm thirsty," his new friend responds. "But there's a fountain right there." "That water isn't as good." "Does it make you sick?" "No." "Then why are you buying your water?" "This tastes better and it's cleaner. It comes from a waterfall" the boy says, pointing to the company logo. It is in this moment that I am reminded of how important critical thinking is. If I've done anything right as a teacher, I hope it's this: I want to see students ask something as simple as "Is it really a good idea to buy water?" For all the talk of being "career ready," I am hoping that they'll become critical consumers who don't buy into the lie that shiny plastic bottles are "cleaner" than what comes out of the tap.