Kids have no idea how revealing their conversations are. One kid who, to put it politely, is a reluctant learner, used a term I’d never heard before. I kept listening, because the group of boys sitting around him in the lunch room seemed to know exactly what he was talking about.

After lunch, I casually asked him what MMA clothing was. He pointed to his shirt, which had words and symbols on it that made no sense to me. So I asked what MMA stood for. This answer, the kid knew: Mixed Martial Arts.

This “new” combat sport combines a mixture of all martial arts. I did some research and learned that MMA is related to the ancient Greek sport pankration. Now there’s a way to reach a reluctant learner when studying ancient Greece and its culture. But first you’ve got to overhear, ask questions and understand as a teacher.