I know some people think that the cheese at Chuck E. Cheese is greasy and that the atmosphere is loud and difficult to handle for long periods of time. First of all, I must address the issue of the greasy pizza. The grease helps the pizza slide down the esophagus while keeping up with active kids who could care less about eating and more about winning tickets. The salad bar has some pretty tasty choices, but dining leisurely on salad just seems ridiculous at a place like Chuck E. Cheese.
Now, about the noise. One thing that really helped me with teaching was to learn to tune out unnecessary sounds. I taught for years in what was called a pod and had to listen to all sorts of things while teaching. One teacher didn't know the meaning of an inside voice. We all knew what was being taught in her class. She really cranked it up when the principal was evaluating another teacher in the pod. For some reason she felt that she was always the one on display. I had to tune her out or go nuts.
So, the sounds at Chuck E. Cheese just sort of blend in for me. Our grandsons (three and six) are determined to save up enough points to get the big, top of the line prize at Chuck E. Cheese. They currently have 950 points and the basketball game they want is 5000 points. We are in for the long haul here, but the math lessons have been great. Of course, we could easily go out and purchase the game for a lot less than we are spending on our trips to visit Chuckie, but we'd miss out on all of the fun, noise, and pizza.
Luckily, as a teacher, I have learned the art of eating fast, but it is a little more difficult for my husband. He actually takes the time to create the perfect salad from the salad bar. Isn't that just like a man?