A family moved from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Toronto.
The little boy in the family began attending the local school
and was soon the butt of jokes for kids who picked on him
for being a “goofy Newfie.”
One boy would show him a nickel and a dime, and ask him
if he wanted the BIG nickel, or the little dime. The little boy
would always take the BIG nickel, to the mirth of the other
kids.
A teacher watched this happen a couple of times, and then,
in exasperation, took the little boy aside. “Surely,” she said,
“you know the difference in value between a nickel and a dime.
Why do you let them do that to you?”
“Sure I know the difference,” the boy said. “But if I ever take
that dime, they’re going to stop giving me nickels.”
