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Everyone goes to elementary school — and Ellie and Scott love it! They talk about their favorite memories of 20th-century schooling, from Lunchables to tater tots, as well as their thoughts on the modern elementary school experience.

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Transcript

SPEAKERS

Speaker 1, Scott Eckert, Speaker 2, Ellie Kemper

Ellie Kemper  01:46

Welcome to Born To Love the show where we talk to the people we love about the things they love. I’m Ellie Kemper.

 

Scott Eckert  01:54

And I’m Scott Eckert, and today I’m talking to one of my favorite people. I’m talking to you, Ellie again, the fires in LA have scrambled up our production schedule a bit, so we’re doing another host only episode, which secretly I am excited.

 

Ellie Kemper  02:08

Scott, it’s no longer a secret Be, and it nor should it be. Let the whole world know how much we love talking to each other. Scott, today we are going to be talking about elementary school.

 

Scott Eckert  02:22

Elementary school, I was born to love elementary school. I was born to love it when I was a child going and I’m born to love it as a parent taking my kids every day. But we can wait. That will wait. That’s the meat of our discussion today, before we get to it. Ellie, is there anything that you’ve been loving this week?

 

Ellie Kemper  02:40

Yes, always, every week there is something, something, even if you had a horrible week, Scott and I always manage to find something we love. That’s just how we are. Eternal optimists, one thing I.

 

Scott Eckert  02:53

Force ourselves, because of the nature of this podcast.

 

Ellie Kemper  02:57

Because the nature of this podcast, demand that we find something that we love. But one thing I’ve been loving this week, so Scott, I’ve been going quite a bit back and forth between Los Angeles and San Diego this week, and for various reasons. And I have to tell you, as somebody who you know, I am comfortable in a car. I am not. I just want to mention this, although I don’t want insurance to ever find this recording and be like she went on the record saying she’s not a good driver. She should be sued. I’m not the best driver. I wouldn’t win a driving contest, but you’re not a race car driver, no, but I do like driving. I mean, often if someone honks at me, I just assume I’ve I’m in the wrong. And that’s a fine way to go through my driving life. But I’ll tell you the so the stretch between San Diego and Los Angeles, of course, varies according to what part of Los Angeles and what part of San Diego you’re going to mine has been a roughly, oh, I don’t know how many miles, 110 miles, maybe Scott, it takes me anywhere between two and three hours, and I’ve made this trip like, I don’t know, maybe eight times over the past 10 days. Wait, is that possible? Yeah, not eight trips, but four trips. So round trips, for round trip, round trips equals eight driving excursions. Scott, I have been loving it. Sometimes I have my kids in the car. Sometimes I’m alone again. Various does this sound very mysterious, what I’m doing on all these trips?

 

Scott Eckert  04:34

All I want to know is, what’s in the car. What are you doing?

 

Ellie Kemper  04:41

You’re asking a few too many questions.

 

Scott Eckert  04:42

Ellie, what have you been enjoying so much about because I think about just cards on the table. I think I would enjoy a jaunt down to San Diego. I wouldn’t enjoy doing it that many times over the course of just over a week.

 

Ellie Kemper  04:58

It feels crazy. It’s possible it’s one of the wildest things I’ve ever done, and one of the most surprising things to discover, that I actually enjoy it. I this will sound obvious to anyone who’s ever been on a road trip, but I have been loving books on tape. I have been loving listening to my favorite Taylor Swift. I’ve been loving listening to various random podcasts, some podcasts that I have never listened to before that have just come up in my queue or whatever. I’ve enjoyed listening to those. I’ve enjoyed driving in silence Scott and just drinking my McDonald’s DC Diet Coke like there have been. So it’s such a meditative experience. Even in traffic, I’m not mad. I’m just sitting there like, you know, listening to a parenting podcast, and I just have been really enjoying it, Scott.

 

Scott Eckert  05:48

Ellie, you it sounds to me like you don’t just love driving. It sounds to me like you what you love is commuting.

 

Ellie Kemper  05:55

Scott?

 

Scott Eckert  05:56

You love, were you born to love long commutes?

 

Ellie Kemper  06:00

Scott, is this what I was born to love, and it’s taken me 44 years and change to discover that that’s my passion. I love it. Listen, if I lived in San Diego full time and go up to Los Angeles every morning for work, I might not be great, but I could handle it for a little bit of time, maybe a week, but, but the point is that you you just hit the nail on the head. I think what I love is commuting, and once you get into the zone where there’s gonna be traffic, there’s gonna be detours, there’s gonna be, you know, another wildfire popping up that you didn’t even see coming, and you and you and you accept that those things are out of your control. It almost enters a sort of existential experience.

 

Scott Eckert  06:48

Yeah, it sounds to me a little bit like because you’re a big fan you’ve talked about on the podcast of airplane travel, yeah, that that sort of Zen state of there’s nothing can be accomplished during the journey, so you just give yourself to it. The difference, of course, is that that when you’re driving, you could murder someone by accident.

 

Ellie Kemper  07:11

100%.

 

Scott Eckert  07:13

You do have to stay focused on the road.

 

Ellie Kemper  07:16

Well, it depends, you know, I mean, if I’m not feeling it, I’m just gonna let go. No, I’m kidding. I pay very close attention to most things on the road while also meditating so.

 

Scott Eckert  07:29

You’re not listening to meditation podcast that would be better the podcast that put you to sleep.

 

Ellie Kemper  07:37

A few peloton sleep meditations at about 2pm about halfway through the drive.

 

Scott Eckert  07:45

2pm at 75 miles per hour.

 

Ellie Kemper  07:49

Now, Scott, would that be something you love, a driverless car commute.

 

Scott Eckert  07:54

Driverless car, baby? Well, see the thing is, I guess so driverless car is tricky, because I was gonna say that, then you feel like you need to be productive. And the thing that I personally like about driving is my inability to be productive, even more than an airplane. I can’t do anything but drive, so I’m just gonna indulge in listening to whatever I’m listening to. I usually like to listen like you, to audio books or podcasts, but a driverless car, I would feel like, oh, I should probably be doing something. But the truth is I wouldn’t at all. I would, just, but bask in that, in that robot car, sitting in the front seat, probably.

 

Ellie Kemper  08:32

You would sit in the front seat?

 

Scott Eckert  08:35

It’s not as safe, I guess. But yeah, I think so. I just took a driverless car and sent you a photo of myself in a driverless car. It was from the back seat because I was like, oh, if I should sit in the back, is that safer? But I would sit on a long drive. I think I’d sit in the front more leg room, more I […]

 

Ellie Kemper  08:52

Can’t wrap my head around the driverless car. I There’s no way I’d be able to relax or be productive. I’d just be looking over the invisible driver’s shoulder the entire time. So you should be looking at the seat, I guess the entire time.

 

Scott Eckert  09:06

This is you just said you had eight trips to San Diego, but by trip five, I think you’d probably be used to the ghost driving the car.

 

Ellie Kemper  09:16

Honestly, the ghost is gonna be 100 times better than I am at driving again. I make no bones about it. I’m not gonna win a driving contest.

 

Scott Eckert  09:25

Well, that’s the I love that you admit that Ellie, because almost everyone that I meet, when they talk about driving, they are like, Have you ever met someone who says they’re below average?

 

Ellie Kemper  09:36

That is hilarious.

 

Scott Eckert  09:39

I mean, half of the people, by definition, are below average. I personally don’t think that I’m one of them. I think I’m like 55% 60. But you know what a below average driver would probably say, yeah, I’m 55% 60.

 

Ellie Kemper  09:54

Well, that’s exactly Scott I think we just found our my fellow below average driver.

 

Scott Eckert  09:59

Yeah, well, you and me together, yeah.

 

Ellie Kemper  10:03

You’re a great you’re a fine driver. I took back the great, you’re a fine driver. And the thing is, I know I’m below average, because the people driving with me often wince, like cringe is a better because, like I was, especially if they’re screaming.

 

Scott Eckert  10:20

Grab the wheel, shout,

 

Ellie Kemper  10:23

Sustained bodily injuryno, everybody’s fine. But yeah, they’re often saying, I’m too close to other cars. Oh, wow, whatever.

 

Scott Eckert  10:31

Wow, that’s, maybe, that’s the thing about driving so close to other cars is it could be an above average move or a very below average move, right. You’re very confident. You You know the f1 drivers, the NASCAR drivers, I bet they drive pretty close, but so do like blind people.

 

Ellie Kemper  10:50

I’m somewhere in between.

 

Scott Eckert  10:52

You know, I you, are you? Your instinct? I think was to say that I’m a good driver, but I just occurred to me, we’ve almost never driven together well, except I was gonna bring it up, the one time that I can remember driving Ellie to on three.  Let’s see what, what was the vehicle that we were driving in on 312? […] U haul. Yes, you seem to be waiting for me. We drove a U haul from New Jersey into Manhattan, and that was the first time that I had driven a car in Manhattan. And it was the it was a mistake. They should not have rented it to you. No, they shouldn’t.

 

Ellie Kemper  11:34

And we drove from the Upper West Side to the Lower East Side. We were driving all over that little island.

 

Scott Eckert  11:40

Yes, we drove. We definitely drove across a bridge that halfway through we were like, wait a minute, there’s no trucks. It says no trucks on this bridge. But we made it.

 

Ellie Kemper  11:51

We made it. You drove, you hauled.

 

Scott Eckert  11:54

Oh, you’re hauling back and forth from San Diego. Yeah. I’m glad that you’re enjoying it, because I think a lot of our listeners would probably hate it. I hope that that your love continues if you have to keep making that journey. And I think maybe we should get to the main topic of the week, Ellie.

 

Ellie Kemper  12:13

Let’s get to the week of love. Scott, sorry, what I meant to say is, let’s get to what let’s get to elementary schools, but we’re gonna take a break first, okay?

 

Scott Eckert  12:26

We’re gonna take a short break. Join us. Stick around for our love of elementary schools.

 

Speaker 1  13:34

And we’re back. Hey guys, it’s Scott and me talking today about something we love, elementary school. And here’s what I want to talk about, Scott with elementary school, and you tell me what you want to talk about, because it is a conversation, after all.

 

Scott Eckert  16:19

Yeah, I hope it’s a conversation.

 

Ellie Kemper  16:22

I don’t know. I found myself about to say elementary schools. And that’s not really what it is. It’s more like the notion of elementary school. Now, within that is element, is the physical buildings, is elementary schools. But I think you and I love it as an experience.

 

Scott Eckert  16:37

Yes, I agree completely. Adding the s at the end was a mistake. I don’t know if you made it or I made it, but whoever made it, we both made it, probably big mistake. Elementary School, the experience, the the it’s a, it’s an institution, right? It’s a, it’s a, it’s a rite of passage that that pretty much everyone has to go through. In America, there are not a lot of elementary school dropouts.

 

Ellie Kemper  17:01

There are some.

 

Scott Eckert  17:04

There probably.

 

Ellie Kemper  17:06

There are probably some.

 

Scott Eckert  17:07

I pity,  them, right? You got a finishing fifth grade, sixth grade probably gonna help you out in life. So if there any kids listen to this, stick with it.

 

Ellie Kemper  17:17

Stick with it. Stay in school. I think historically, like, I’ve suddenly found myself about to say, like, you know, Thomas Jefferson didn’t finish elementary school, but, you know, elementary school as a concept is probably relatively new. We didn’t do a deep dive into history, like, when, the current, like, education model came out, and that’s not what we’re here to discuss, either. But most people in this day and age go to elementary school. Scott and I are in our 40s, so we went to elementary school in the 80s, right? That’s true. And we didn’t know each other, and we independently loved it, right?

 

Scott Eckert  17:51

I totally loved it. I loved Elementary School. And here’s the thing, I wouldn’t a lot of people have mixed feelings about middle school, high school, some people hate it. I haven’t met a lot of people who love it. I enjoyed that well enough. I don’t think that there’s much divide when it comes to elementary school. People, I think, generally, have positive feelings about it. On the other hand, when I was an adult, I never thought about it much, right? It’s not like I was constantly remembering the great times when I was in second grade that wasn’t happening. We do think, at least, I think sometimes about high school or, oh, this reminds me of this person or that person, whatever. But elementary school was kind of lost from my memory, or at least not a not a touchstone. And then I had children, I bring them to elementary school, and it all came flooding back, and one of the very best parts of my day at my kids elementary school, I walk into the school to pick them up, which is unusual. There’s a new principal, and she actually hates it. She’s like, wow, I don’t like all these parents, but we walked, we walk in the school, and it’s a delight. I will spend the next, you know, several minutes talking about why, but just a quick list, right? First of all, filled with adorable children. Yeah, adorable children, and they can be a nightmare to parent, yeah, but in a school setting like that, typically well behaved. And here’s the truth, when they misbehave and it’s not your kid adorable. Also, yes, absolutely. So it’s full of adorable little children. Also, the teachers a little bit quirky, quirkier now that I’m adult, you see a teacher like, Okay, you made some interesting choice with your life, but good hearted, absolutely good hearted, with rare exception, they’re they’re elementary school teachers, because they have a burning desire to help children.

 

Ellie Kemper  19:53

This without saying they’re heroes, and to state the obvious. And they have, they possess a skill set I don’t, which is endless compassion and patience and love of children. No, I’m kidding. I love children too, but of love of learning.

 

Scott Eckert  20:14

And love of that many children I love. Two children mine, other children I can admire from afar. Wouldn’t want to spend all day, every day with them? Jesus, by Sunday, I’m ready for my kids to head back to school, right?

 

Ellie Kemper  20:32

Yes, I am. I’m allowed to say that, yes, but that’s not but that, and that’s where these heroes step in, because you’re exactly right. It’s to be in the company of teachers. Is to be in wonderful company. You feel buoyed immediately, buoyed. Scott, I keep listing what you love about walking in the elementary school, or I’m gonna add something.

 

Scott Eckert  20:54

Well, I want you to add something. I’ll just finish my list off real quick. One, kids, two teachers and and three. This is gonna, this is gonna sound crazy. Ellie, I kind of sort of learned things.

 

Ellie Kemper  21:09

Of course you did.

 

Scott Eckert  21:10

Right? I mean, it’s like the posters on the wall when in adulthood, especially, we are not constantly buffeted by, like, really simple messages that are positive, right? The we might be buffeted by complex messages, right? Hopefully our loved ones are given conversations with us, talking about all kinds of different etc, etc, but like, like, just the simple wisdom on an elementary school poster is really refreshing. The only messages that we get like that are advertisements, right? And I’ve got nothing against the advertising industry. I love them. They tell me what movies to see and what soap to buy. I’m all for it, but instead to see a poster that’s like, here are the here are the five things you need to do when think about when writing a letter or like, here,  here are the states of matter, right? Or just like, or just like, hey, just remember a mistake is an opportunity to grow or something like, you name an elementary school poster, and I read, I’m gonna be nodding my head. I’m gonna be like, yeah, that is right. That is true.

 

Ellie Kemper  22:34

You couldn’t be more, right. And at first I thought you were only going to mention those sort of moral teachings, or very simple but all the same, true guides to living like inspirational stuff, right? I did not consider the fact that, yes, how nice to be reminded of the five or six components of a letter, a letter writing or or, or, or to wash your hands for how long, 20 seconds and then dry them. That’s right, that one. I don’t need as much reminding. But simple thing, the correct way to write the letter P, you know, things like that, which are simple, Q might be a better example of that, but because it’s harder, simple lessons in everyday life, more than you could shake a stick at. They’re plastered all over the walls of any given elementary school, and I couldn’t be happier.

 

Scott Eckert  23:35

But that was my list. Those are my three big things that I love. Ellie, you wanted to add to.

 

Ellie Kemper  23:40

I was gonna just chime in, and didn’t want to interrupt. And I thought, I thought that’s what you’re gonna say. I’m gonna say a very obvious one, which is, of course, children’s artwork. Are you kidding me? Oh, are you? Are you? Is this a joke? Agree. Like being surrounded by beautiful, the beautiful artwork of innocent children. Yeah, I’ll tell Okay, I’ll take it, you know, like I’m there.

 

Scott Eckert  24:10

So good hearted, like the teachers, also usually really bad, but in the cutest way. Oh, ugly faces.

 

Ellie Kemper  24:21

Oh my gosh, snow. That’s like underground. You know, little cotton balls. But wait, the cotton balls are under the earth. How did the snow get underground? It doesn’t matter. I’m thinking of a very specific example, something my, my class, kids classmate did once. But it’s, it’s, it’s horribly magnificent, or it’s magnificent and it’s beautiful.

 

Scott Eckert  24:44

I couldn’t agree more. My fourth grade son came, came back the other day, and he had a big poster, and there were two drawings of kids on it, right? And I thought to myself, a little rough. Off, right? He’s in fourth grade now. I mean, it’s okay, but that’s what I thought to myself. And then he told me, oh yeah, I made this with my little buddy. Do you guys have little buddies in your honor? We do. He’s a fourth grader. He had a, I think, a kindergarten little buddy. And I was instantly relieved. And I was like, oh, okay, so the kindergartner made this piece of crap, right?

 

Ellie Kemper  25:26

Yeah, oh no.

 

Scott Eckert  25:30

Yeah, I drew one of them, and he drew the other one. And I was like, oh, which is which. And totally sincere. He goes, Well, obviously I drew the good one and the crappy one, like whatever the kid’s name was, and Ellie, I couldn’t tell the difference. They looked they looked identical.

 

Ellie Kemper  25:54

And that’s just it. As someone who’s not a good artist, that’s me. I fully respect anyone who even attempts to draw anything so all good wishes to Jack and his artistic journey. The other thing I love Scott and this is, this is actually this one is going to be, I’m curious to see how you react to this one, the smell of hot lunch.

 

Scott Eckert  26:17

Don’t like that much at all, but explain to me what you like.

 

Ellie Kemper  26:25

I loved it as a kid, I loved it, it bubbling up through the vents of Conway School in St Louis. I loved the smell of lunch on the horizon, usually eaten at 10:50am which is very early for lunch, sometimes, probably even earlier than that. But I specifically remember 1050 as the time we ate lunch. And now, as an adult, when I smell the same things being cooked, I’m smelling hot dogs and tater tots, the big square pizza that I guess they’ve decided as a better surface area, you just can feed more kids. If it’s a rectangle,

 

Scott Eckert  27:03

that’s not I never considered it, but it must be. And they’re gonna fill the entire oven with with pizza.

 

Ellie Kemper  27:10

Fish sticks, chicken nuggets, sloppy joes, things that you never eat. And when they’re sir there, it’s in the oven and on the stove and it’s cooking and filling the elementary school with its fumes. Oh, do I love it. So I love the smell of elementary school cafeteria food. I also love any holidays corresponding worksheets. Now you’re gonna, you’re gonna grow out of those in third, fourth, fifth grade, sure. But yeah, I just hit. I just, I really said something that resonates with you, Scott.

 

Scott Eckert  27:45

Yes, ABS, 100 100 I mean, it’s, it’s each new thing, minus the lunch smell, which I think a little on the gross side. I’m being honest. But I do love tater tots. I was you were losing me. You do. You were losing me. But then you said hot dogs and tater tots. And I said, you know, I love hot dogs.

 

Ellie Kemper  28:04

You do, of course. You know, everybody does. And by the way, hamburgers, that’s, that’s a loose term. I mean hamburgers. I remember what we used to eat at my at my elementary school, I it was not a hamburger. They called it a hamburger. They called it a ledue mini burger. It was gray. It was called it a ladune. Oh, I’m so sorry. The school district was Ladue. It was called Ledoux, L, A, D, U, E, so it was a Ledue mini burger, and they were gray and tasted like ham. So I don’t know what it was, but I still, if I if you gave me one right now, I’d be like, yes.

 

Scott Eckert  28:41

I doubt it.

 

Ellie Kemper  28:42

Scott, I mean, I’m such a health nut. Now there’s no way I would eat that but, but I do love now, Scott, I noticed that we we briefly touched on the holiday worksheets, and then we went right back together.

 

Scott Eckert  28:55

No, I didn’t mean to the holiday worksheets. Yes, go on. I you, I feel like you could list 100 different things about elementary school, and I’d be like, Yeah, I’d be like, yes, I don’t even consider that the holiday worksheets. Tell me why you look .

 

Ellie Kemper  29:06

I’m just my kid is in kindergarten right now, and he is bringing home every single holiday worksheet you can imagine. I mean, Arbor Day. No, not Arbor Day. I’m kidding. It’s a tree day, but I know it Arbor Day. That’s predictable. Well, some of our listeners might not know Arbor Day, all the ones you would expect, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, we have yet to see. I’m sure they’re gonna be lots of worksheets about them, but there’s something specifically about the fall holidays that makes me so cozy, and they bring home the little pilgrims with the belts. And I just, I just, I want to, like, complete every you know, word pattern and simple arithmetic that I can because I am living vicariously through my child, and want to be in kindergarten again,

 

Scott Eckert  29:54

Yeah, and I think I mentioned this just a couple of weeks ago on the podcast. I I want there to be more. Holiday stuff in general, I want there to be a holiday radio station that plays holiday theme music, whatever the next closest holiday is. That’s what they play, and the worksheets are a physical manifestation of that. You know what? Today is not just another Tuesday. It’s two Tuesdays before Valentine’s Day, and we’re gonna have pinks and reds, and we’re gonna do heart shape, whatever the hell’s and I love it.

 

Ellie Kemper  30:27

Yep, absolutely love it’s another thing about elementary school that Scott and I both love.

 

Scott Eckert  30:32

I’ve got a question for you. Ellie, you brought it up. We’ve been focusing. And I wasn’t expecting that this is how the conversation would go. We’ve been focusing on modern day Elementary School. I mean, you’re you shared your recollection of the Ledoux burgers, but mini burger, mini burgers.

 

Ellie Kemper  30:52

Budget cuts.

 

Scott Eckert  30:54

You know that? What is the Do you have any especially fond memories, or any especially uh, favorite teachers, from from from your own elementary school experience? Because I now seeing my own children and remembering back and putting myself into those you know, second grade size shoes, it’s it’s really been a blast from the past. Do you have any memories Ellie or not, really, you’re looking at me like, oh no, I don’t actually.

 

Ellie Kemper  31:29

I that’s, I think, my resting face, which just looks miserable. But I was not meaning to give that impression I was thinking about all the like, flood of memories that just came gushing over me because I have so many memories of elementary school, I wouldn’t know where to begin. I mean, every I would say, I mean, who? That’s where your first like idols emerge, right? Elementary School, your teachers. That’s at least for me to be honest, if I was looking conflicted, it’s because when you said, favorite teachers, the the first memory that came back to me. Now, this was an, I think it was a legend. I don’t know. I can’t remember if it actually happened to anyone I knew, or if it was just like, you know, urban myth, but there was a teacher at our school who was rumored to have tied her kids to the chair if they didn’t behave.

 

Scott Eckert  32:22

I suspect that that was urban legend. You were not tied to a chair, were you?

 

Ellie Kemper  32:26

I wasn’t, but I can’t remember if my brother’s classmate was my brother’s two years ahead of me, so he would this is in fourth grade, and I won’t give her name, because what if she’s out there still tying children to seats. I need to give her her.

 

Scott Eckert  32:39

You should give her name to the police.

 

Ellie Kemper  32:43

She would tie them. The rumor, the story was that she would tie children to their chairs with a rope if she if they didn’t behave. But she was, she had white she was old, she’s she probably is not still with us. Her name was Mrs. Blakemore, I don’t know, but she wasn’t my teacher, and she wasn’t a favorite, but that’s just something that may or may not have happened at Conway. What I do remember are my favorite teachers, Mrs. Field, Miss Marco, Miss Maxwell now, Miss Walther. Mrs. Hey, Scott, what about I could go on and on.

 

Scott Eckert  33:16

Absolute Mrs. Lenz, my kindergarten teacher,  Mr. Johnson, my second grade teacher, Mr. Morris, my favorite teacher, third grade absolutely fantastic. Had, in retrospect, a spectacular mustache. Of course, can I mean, that’s a pretty cool to be rocking a huge stash in 1987.

 

Ellie Kemper  33:39

So Mr. Schmidlab had the same thing he was the other .

 

Scott Eckert  33:42

Mr. Schmidlap wins in terms of funny teacher names. So far, does Mr. Schmidlap, it’s funny. You mentioned the guy that the teacher the woman who tied students to chairs because and it’s now making me think maybe I have rose colored glasses, rose tinted glasses. When I look back when I was in fourth grade, apparently I don’t really have much memory of this. I came home every day crying, and I was like, my teacher, I will not name him, because I don’t want to be accused of slander. But every day, I was like, my teacher is so mean to me, so mean to me, so mean to me. And my parents were correctly, like, well, you know, maybe try behaving a little bit better or stick with it, like it’s gonna be okay. Adversity is, you know, you’re gonna, you’re gonna find adversity in life. But it just kept it persisted over the course of months and months. And then finally, one of the TAs in the class was like, no, this teacher is really singling out this kid, and they ended up moving me to another classroom. Isn’t that kind of funny?

 

Scott Eckert  33:51

God, we’re there’s some real memories surfacing here. I are you okay?

 

Scott Eckert  34:56

I’m totally fine, and I turned out great, and I really don’t hold any bitterness for this teacher. I wasn’t being abused, nothing like that. It’s just that, for whatever reason, this particular teacher really didn’t like me and was very nasty to me. It only happened once in my entire academic.

 

Ellie Kemper  35:15

I am sorry that happened. Did you say this was third grade?

 

Scott Eckert  35:20

This was fourth grade.

 

Ellie Kemper  35:21

Because I do remember you telling me that you Well, everyone, no, everyone wasn’t sure what was going on with you around then, just because you were having different experience.

 

Scott Eckert  35:38

What else laughing about it. Tasteful about it. We’re gonna be tasteful about it. No, the early part of my elementary school career, I was identified as slow, and.

 

Ellie Kemper  35:48

That was not the term they gave to you.

 

Scott Eckert  35:50

No, but they I had to go through special classes and stuff. But then it worked, and I ended up.

 

Ellie Kemper  35:56

You ended up fine. That’s what sells. Yeah, I’m making more of it than it is you, so I wasn’t sure if maybe that was coinciding with, I don’t know. Maybe she was the teacher, was a woman, yes, maybe she was, you know jealous a man.

 

Scott Eckert  36:10

Oh, say his name, Mr. Pecha oh.

 

Ellie Kemper  36:12

Okay, I’m not even gonna repeat it. I don’t want to be called to the lawsuit. But he to testify. But he, maybe he was, you know, I don’t know, jealous of any special attention you were getting, whatever it was, it only made you stronger out. But kudos to you for correctly identifying whether you knew it or not that you were being well, maybe you didn’t know you’re being singled out at the time, but that your your impression was not wrong, that he was being a little bit unfair towards you. So I’m glad you told your parents, sending the children listening.

 

Scott Eckert  36:41

It’s wild, because my memories of elementary school as as we’ve like devoted an entire episode to entirely positive and then you think back, and it’s like, oh, except for that one thing, actually, except for that handful of things.

 

Ellie Kemper  36:57

Scott, if you could read my second grade journals, you would say, how on earth did she is she now claiming as a grown up, to have enjoyed middles, enjoyed elementary school? It was just like one tragic event after another in my mind. But in fact.

 

Scott Eckert  37:13

Yes, but what? I know well now I want to now I have to do a special shout out to born to love’s number one listener, my daughter, yes, Jenny excels at school. She’s no longer in elementary school. She’s a sixth grader, and she’s an outstanding reader, and she’s also an outstanding writer. She loves to journal, journal, journal, journal. And whenever she has, like, big feelings or is frustrated, mostly with me or or my wife, she’ll go into her room and she will just write, write, write, write, write. And now I never read these journals, because that would be a violation of her. Yes, it would being sincere. I’d have not read one of them, but I can just tell by the manner that she’s writing in them that they’re not positive things. And I had to say to her once, I was like, Jenny, can you do me a favor, and please, like, please remember to write some nice things in the journal, because if you go back in adulthood and ever read this journal, it’s gonna be entirely just screeds against how awful I am.

 

Ellie Kemper  38:13

Very good point. And just as a to remind adult Jenny that you had some good qualities too, but no kid is gonna report on that Scott who’s writing like love poems to their parents in their diaries, besides my kids just kidding, no.

 

Scott Eckert  38:28

Was there anything? Were you a gym kid? Because I that’s the that’s the cliche. It’s like, oh, Jim is the best or the worst, or whatever, and it’s in all the movies. And then I had two kids, and blow and ball. Yeah, my son is like, the only good class is gym.

 

Ellie Kemper  38:46

I have. I’m actually have. I have neutral gym stories. I have, like, I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. I was there and it was fine, and I wasn’t like, the worst or the best. And again, I think we’ve talked about this before in the show the Presidential Fitness award. I just remember doing that and being angry because I couldn’t do pull ups. But beyond that, like no and to be honest, my boys are also they experience gym neutrally. So I don’t know if it’s genetic. Scott. I want to be, I want to be conscious of our time today, and you and me. You know how? You know how the host usually says to the guest, I know you’re very busy, but it’s just us. So it’s like, well, I know we’re very busy. We are very busy, but I want to be conscious of the time, because I want to leave enough time for us to play. Love is really blind. What any, what’s the word I’m looking for, Scott, I can’t think any.

 

Scott Eckert  39:44

Any last any parting wisdom as elementary school. I was gonna say any, yeah, any conclusions. Any conclusions. I mean, no, it’s you mentioned the inspirational posters, Ellie and and, and I didn’t. We didn’t dwell on them, rightfully so, because we all get. It. But one thing that I did kind of sort of learn from my children’s elementary school journey, and also Daniel Tiger, which I think is a favorite of yours, and I have talked I don’t remember the phrase growth mindset like I don’t. I didn’t learn that when I was a kid and and it’s not especially important that phrase in particular, that kids know that phrase, but I do like that philosophy, the whole idea that, like we are here to get better, and that that mistakes or screw ups or bad tests or whatever it that that’s how you get better at things and and and that embrace of of of doing hard stuff, it’s just like, oh, it’s the attitude that all of us should have all the time, as treacly as that sounds. And yeah, I’m delighted that the schools have really kind of honed that, at least it seems to me, and I’m grateful for all the teachers that are that are imparting those lessons to all our kids out there.

 

Ellie Kemper  41:06

I couldn’t agree with everything you said, just more. Everything you just said more. See the growth mindset.

 

Scott Eckert  41:15

You didn’t give up on that sentence.

 

Ellie Kemper  41:18

I went back and I fixed it. Growth Mindset. We’re all a work in progress. I love the smell of sloppy joes in the morning, and that, that’s what we take away from elementary school. We love you. We hope there’s more of you. And what a little ODE, a little homage, to all of the elementary schools out there. Scott, thank you so much for talking. You’re welcome with me about that. When we come back, I we’re gonna play a game. Um, do you want to describe it now? Or maybe?

 

Scott Eckert  41:49

Well, I think that listeners, listeners probably know love is really blind. I’m gonna force Ellie to rank some elementary school inspired items. So stick with us after the break, we’re gonna play love is really cool.

 

Speaker 2  42:05

We’re back on, born to love the Elementary School Edition, which does not mean only elementary schoolers can listen to it. It means that’s the topic today, Scott, we’re gonna play a game. It’s a, it’s become a sort of a favorite around here, right around our.

 

Scott Eckert  43:24

It’s a favorite of mine. It’s the game that we play whenever it’s just you and me, yeah, and I usually force you to play it. So I don’t know, I enjoy constructing game. I hope you enjoy playing the game. It’s called Love is really blind, for trademark reasons, because Netflix has a TV show and we are not paying them. So it’s called Love is really blind. It’s nothing to do with that show, nope. Instead, I’m going to give Ellie a list of five items and force her to rank them, but she does not know what the items are, and she will rank them without hearing all of them. So guys, guess what? Sometimes the rankings ending end up being pretty funny.

 

Ellie Kemper  43:59

Yeah, because Yep, they’re not how I would have chosen to rank them, but that’s the game.

 

Scott Eckert  44:06

Nope. That’s the game. Is she gonna get it right, or is she gonna make a fool of herself? So this edition of love is really blind. Deli is elementary school snacks. So these are snacks I have to pack, I have to pack snacks every day for my kids.

 

Ellie Kemper  44:25

I know you do.

 

Scott Eckert  44:26

I’m sure you do as well. I’m not above sneaking some snacks for myself. I’m just gonna be honest.

 

Ellie Kemper  44:34

Who among us does not? It doesn’t count. It’s great. It doesn’t count for adults, I’m saying if you have a ho ho.

 

Scott Eckert  44:41

It’s you pack […]

 

Ellie Kemper  44:45

Since 1970 No, not that hose. I’m not criminal. All right. No, okay, all right.

 

Scott Eckert  44:52

Oh, a very good friend.

 

Ellie Kemper  44:56

Very good friend works for hostess, so I don’t want to.

 

Scott Eckert  44:59

Oh no.

 

Ellie Kemper  45:01

Don’t even know of hostess. I think didn’t hostess collapse. This isn’t about hostess let’s play the game.

 

Scott Eckert  45:06

Let’s play the game. Love is really blind. Elementary school snacks, Ellie the first one. You got to rank it one to five. String cheese.

 

Ellie Kemper  45:14

Okay, now I Scott, if you had been talking to elementary school Ellie, string cheese. Now I don’t like cheese or fish, but now I love string cheese, and I eat it all of the time, often with lunch, because it’s there. And usually what’s crazy, you don’t need a whole explanation, but let me give you one anyway. My it isn’t even an explanation, it’s just thoughts on string cheese. My kids, I pack I can’t tell you how much string cheese I have that just sits at room temperature all day long, and then I put it back in the fridge, because I’m always packing string cheeses, either in my knapsack or my purse or their backpacks, just to have as protein on the go. And nobody ever eats it, except me. I love string cheese. My kids can take it or leave it, I would rank string cheese. Oh, shoot. This is hard because I don’t know what’s coming and I’m about to do something really bold. I think you know what that is.

 

Scott Eckert  46:08

I mean, you got to rank at number one, it seems.

 

Ellie Kemper  46:11

No, because I’m hoping for a fruit and nut snack, although nuts you might not include in a school lunch because of allergies. Scott, I’m gonna play it safe. I’m putting string cheese at number two.

 

Scott Eckert  46:23

All right, string cheese, it’s been written down. Ellie, I’m just gonna say I don’t think that’s string cheese that’s been at room temperature for hours and hours and hours. I don’t think that should go back in the fridge, partly because maybe you get away with that once, but once it’s back in the fridge, you don’t know if it’s been out. So there could be a there could be a stick of string cheese that’s gone through that cycle. It’s been out in room temperature for 50 hours, and you wouldn’t know.

 

Ellie Kemper  46:47

Penicillin, Scott, is it pending? Doesn’t penicillin have something to do with like, Isn’t it something like moldy with [….]

 

Scott Eckert  46:57

I mean, they grow it from mold, but that doesn’t mean that molds healthy.

 

Ellie Kemper  47:01

Penicillin.

 

Scott Eckert  47:04

It’s like the one mold that’s healthy, although I guess string is or not string, but rather cheese is. Cheese itself is.

 

Ellie Kemper  47:11

I guess it’s, it’s age, but not less like good, pure cheese. I’m not Scott. I’m living as like cheese. Like likeness out for everyone, okay.

 

Scott Eckert  47:20

All right, item number two, Gushers.

 

Ellie Kemper  47:23

Oh, Scott, easy, although with you I never know what’s gonna come next. So gushers, I hate.

 

Scott Eckert  47:30

Gosh, what are you anti fruit snack? Or anti Gushers?

 

Ellie Kemper  47:34

Gushers. I mean, fruit snack, you’re hilarious because there’s nothing in that that has to do with fruit. I’ll take something that claims to be like a vitamin C fruit snack, because I’ll comfort myself into thinking there’s vitamin C gush. Doesn’t pretend to be anything than, other than candy, right?

 

Scott Eckert  47:52

No, that’s great. Yeah, it’s candy, but it’s got a gush of gooey sweetness in the middle.

 

Ellie Kemper  47:59

You know what? It’s hard for me to.

 

Scott Eckert  48:02

When you were in third grade, would you have been like, oh, gusher, yeah, yuck, really?

 

Ellie Kemper  48:07

Yeah.

 

Scott Eckert  48:08

Wow.

 

Ellie Kemper  48:09

I didn’t have a lot of friends. Yeah. Isn’t that crazy?

 

Scott Eckert  48:14

Give me that mini burger and Gushers. Gross. I want the burger that tastes like ham.

 

Ellie Kemper  48:22

I want the actual ham burger. I didn’t want the Gushers. I didn’t want the string cheese. I didn’t want the pork rinds. I remember those bugles. People would bring bugles and I didn’t understand what they were. I would say Gushers. I’m gonna play it safe, because I will leave it to you to bring up something I’ll dislike even more, but I’m gonna put gushers at four.

 

Scott Eckert  48:43

All right, gushers at four. Number three. Orange slices.

 

Ellie Kemper  48:47

Oh, now how nice? All right. Do you know what? Scott, this is gonna make you like insane. I’m gonna rank because I find that it’s nourishing, healthy and kicks up my immune system. I’m gonna put orange at one.

 

Scott Eckert  49:04

Wow.

 

Ellie Kemper  49:05

Maybe I’m just in a winter mine.

 

Scott Eckert  49:07

That’s good. I mean, it’s a healthy choice. So orange. I mean, it’s hard to knock an orange slice.

 

Ellie Kemper  49:14

It’s interesting, because I’m weighing like, what will I actually feel good about eating versus what’s the most delicious? And I have a feeling you’re gonna name something more delicious, but I’ll feel better about my orange choice.

 

Scott Eckert  49:26

All right, let’s rank number one. Next one. Next up, Ellie, Rice Krispie treats.

 

Ellie Kemper  49:30

Okay, now, I love rice krispie treats, but I also recognize I’m not sure how nourishing they are. I feel absolutely confident putting rice krispie treats at number three.

 

Scott Eckert  49:46

Number three, Rice Krispie treats, nice. Do you have a preference between pre packaged and and homemade?

 

Ellie Kemper  49:53

I’m gonna go on again, on record saying I love the pre packaged.

 

Scott Eckert  49:57

They’re good. They’re good. I’m not. They weren’t around. When we were growing.

 

Ellie Kemper  50:00

No, they weren’t.

 

Scott Eckert  50:01

Think, but.

 

Ellie Kemper  50:02

They’re very different, right? They taste totally different than homemade rice krispie treats, like, not at all the same.

 

Scott Eckert  50:09

Okay, they’re similar, and they’re made of rice krispies. They got marshmallow keeping them together, but I see where you’re coming from.

 

Ellie Kemper  50:16

I always mix up a little bit of hamburger la Junia.

 

Scott Eckert  50:21

Homemade ones that in your house are nothing like like rice krispies and last up Ellie, it’s you. It’s locked into five Lunchables.

 

Ellie Kemper  50:30

Oh, I aced this game. I’m so happy that would have been a hard five. Because even even even gushers, as much as I dislike them, Lunchables are bad. I mean, they’re, I don’t even know what’s in that. I’ve served it to my kids before. I’m not saying I’m a saint, or I’m not, like, disparaging those who give Lunchables to kids, but, um, what is in that?

 

Scott Eckert  50:56

It’s, no, it’s still, it’s, I mean, it’s just crackers, cheese and meat, like deli or not even telling me, what do we call that pre packaged meat? It’s not my favorite. I do I remember as a kid, and I see the appeal now as an adult, although I haven’t eaten one in a long time as an adult, I like that they’re in the little compartments. I like that it’s a little company, and you sort of make it yourself. That’s what.

 

Ellie Kemper  51:18

I think it’s no different than those little art artisanal platters they serve at Starbucks. I’m sure it’s all the same, but I think there’s something about it that is grosser.

 

Scott Eckert  51:30

That’s right. I agree completely. So these rankings, Ellie, this might be your best game of love. Is blind yet. Number one, orange slices. Two, string cheese. Three, Rice Krispie treats, four Gushers and five Lunchables. Congratulations. You won the game.

 

Ellie Kemper  51:44

I actually that’s the first time I’ve won it. I just, I really went with my gut on that. So I feel happy. Thank you, Scott.

 

Scott Eckert  51:51

You’re welcome. I feel happy for you. I bet I feel like it was a success all around Ellie before we let everyone go. Is there anything that you’re looking forward to next week?

 

Ellie Kemper  52:01

Many things. We’re in the heart of winter here in America, and I am looking forward to a little someone’s winter birthday that is, well, both of my brothers, interestingly enough, have birthdays coming up, but that’s not what I was gonna list, because they’re not next week. Next week is my husband’s birthday, the great, the iconic Michael Komen. He will be turning 48 which is ridiculous and.

 

Scott Eckert  52:30

Almost 50.

 

Ellie Kemper  52:31

Almost nearing 50, coming, coming around on 50, we’re gonna have a big spaghetti dinner. That’s his favorite food, spaghetti. He’s sort of a foodie, and I’m kidding, he loves spaghetti and meatballs and big platters of it. And you know, what a nice little bright spot in the middle of well, the horrible world, Scott, what are you looking forward?

 

Scott Eckert  52:53

I’m looking forward to the beginning of Little League. My son’s little league is starting up. We did an episode with Michael Lewis a long time ago, about about youth sports and my son getting better, and I don’t think on a professional track, but loves it just, just loves it. Loves playing it and and I love watching him play, because it’s fun. There would he he had a walk off. He got a walk off hit last season, which was maybe the most excited I have ever been in my life, because he was very, very excited. So, oh, starting up.

 

Ellie Kemper  53:28

What’s a walk off hit?

 

Scott Eckert  53:30

That means that your team gets the last chance to bat and you get a hit that wins the game over. The game was the game was tied, and then he got a hit, and someone scored, and the game ended because of his hit. So that’s a walk off, very exciting moment. Baseball player and a parent, iconic.

 

Ellie Kemper  53:50

I am glad I asked what it meant, Scott, because you said it so calmly. I thought, Oh, he hit the ball. I didn’t realize he won the game. So kudos to Jack, kudos to Little League Scott. What a wonderful chat we’ve had about elementary school. Thank you to everyone for joining us for another episode of Born to Love. Follow us wherever you get your podcast, or listen ad free on Amazon music with your Prime membership. If you want to find me, I’m @Elliekepper on Instagram.

 

Scott Eckert  54:19

And I’m @meScottEckert on Twitter.

 

Ellie Kemper  54:21

There’s more Born To Love, not just some, there’s more Born To Love with Lemonada Premium subscribers get exclusive access to bonus content where we flip the script and talk about something we don’t love. This week, you can hear Scott gripe about cops and robbers. And I think you mean, I’m, you mean that actual cops and actual robbers.

 

Scott Eckert  54:41

Both, I’m griping about cops and robbers.

 

Ellie Kemper  54:43

But you can only listen to that if you subscribe in Apple podcasts.

 

Scott Eckert  54:47

That’s true. Please stick around for that. Born to Love is a production of Lemonada Media. Special thanks to Aria Bracci, Kegan Zema, Ivan Kuraev and James Sparber. Our cover art photography is by Tony Russo. And before you go, we’ll leave you with a little wisdom from our greatest educator, the Lorax. You’ve got brains in your head, feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. How’s that for a growth mindset? Bye, everyone.