I miss working with kids. One could argue of course that we're all a bunch of big kids. and if someone had told me when i was in junior high that much of the time i would still feel awkward when i was 29, well, i'm not sure if i would find that comforting or if i would try to jump off the top of the nearest tall building. anyway, at least in the midst of the craziness, i can still laugh. the following is an excerpt of a teacher's tale by my friend melanie grossheider. i hold her in high esteem.
This convo is with a little sixth grader named Phung who is from Vietnam and does not entirely yet have a handle on English language or American culture.
(after school, on a budding spring-fever day)
Phung: Ms. G, can I ask you a question? Do you promise not to laugh?
Me: Of course, go ahead.
Phung: What is, "make out"?
(long pause, check to see that student is serious)
Me: Making out is when you kiss someone for a very long time. Where did you hear that expression?
Phung: Like half hour? Does that count as "make out"?
Me: Yes, kissing for a half an hour would count as making out. Phung, is there someone who wants you to make out with him?
Phung: What about two minutes? Does kissing for two minutes count as making out?
Me: Phung, let me tell you something. (proceed with long lecture about how kisses are precious and if you give them away to people who dont know how special they are, then they won't seem so special anymore, etc, than you Pondy sex seminars)
Lecture ends.
silence.
Phung: Can it make you pregnant?
(later on in year Phung is caught behind the school making out. It can be supposed that she was there for sometime between two minutes and a half an hour.)
You have to love middle schoolers- working with them is like no job in the
entire world.
1 comment:
Hey, speaking of making-out, it's been a helluva long time since I've done any of that. And do you remember when you wrote a post about making-out? Well, I never told you at the time but I had... um... never mind.
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