The students took a spelling test, today. One of our students ("Check your zipper!") is very sweet, but he does have an anger/stubborn streak in him. Especially if he thinks he’s in the right and is being cheated. He had quite the row when playing a Memory card game. He didn’t believe that the other student could go again after making a match. Not because he was losing, but because he thought the other student was trying to cheat. He's small but fierce.
Ironically, this came full circle. We’re in the middle of taking the spelling test, when the teacher notices him sneaking something from his pocket. He had the words written down on a piece of paper and was stealing glances. She took him out into the hallway to talk with him about it, and he grew furious. He started loudly protesting and blaming the teacher. The principal happened by during this and tried to see if he could help sort it out. Apparently, verbatim, the student’s issue was that the teacher “hadn’t told them that they couldn’t keep the words in their pocket and look at them.” Let’s face it, the kid has a point. Our bad.
Let’s move away from my school, for a moment, and visit a friend’s school. On the private, affluent level. Just for kicks. My friend teaches art there. She related this story to me. One of the coaches is named Coach Willey (very nice guy, unfortunate name). An older student (somewhere between fourth and seventh) had written a pleasant little ditty in the locker room: "Coach Willey has a vagina". Very deep and well thought out. A kindergartner later finds this, and tells another one of the coaches. Only he doesn't know the last word, so in relating what was on the wall, he states, "It says coach Willey has a...v…vag… I think it's Latin."
That's right, kids. Latin. Kindergartners are commenting on Latin. Another student (keep in mind, we're talking second grade or less, here)...well, hold on. Preamble: My friend's last name is Gross. The little ones don't like to call her Mrs. Gross, because they think they're being rude or mean. They have told her this. She has reassured them that it is okay, because that is her name, but they still hesitate every time they have to say it. Anyway, one of the little tykes commented that, because it's German, it's probably pronounced [Grauss]. A second grader. Or younger. Correcting German. I don't even know if they were right, but I wouldn't be too surprised. What the hell do they feed these kids?
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