As I read the question for the blog this week I thought about teaching high school. In the classroom a slip of the tongue is very hard to recover from. You always have at least one class jester that is ready to make something innocent into the funniest thing they have ever heard. Even when you thought no one was paying attention suddenly the rooms fills with laughter. It can be especially difficult when you have a diverse demographic and words have different meaning in another culture.
We use questions to check for understanding, provoke thought and maintain interest in the subject. We have to know what answer we are looking for and the potential answers too. A friend sent me a joke that explains it well. I will share it with you below.
A Little Boy Fried Chicken And His Teacher
Our teacher asked us what our favorite animal was, and I said, “Fried chicken.”
She said I wasn’t funny, but she couldn’t have been right, because everyone
else in the class laughed.
My parents told me to always be truthful and honest, and I am. Fried chicken
is my favorite animal. I told my dad what happened, and he said my teacher probably loved animals very much. I do, too. Especially chicken, pork and beef.
Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal’s office. I told him what
happened, and he laughed, too. Then he told me not to do it again.
The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite live animal was.
I told her it was chicken. She asked me why, just like she’d asked the other
children. So I told her it was because you could make them into fried
chicken.
She sent me back to the principal’s office again. He laughed, and told me
not to do it again. I don’t understand. My parents taught me to be honest,
but my teacher doesn’t like it when I am.
Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what famous person we admire most.
I told her, “Colonel Sanders.”
Guess where I am now..
Never ask a question that you do not want answered. Who said teaching is easy? Gotta love it.
She said I wasn’t funny, but she couldn’t have been right, because everyone
else in the class laughed.
My parents told me to always be truthful and honest, and I am. Fried chicken
is my favorite animal. I told my dad what happened, and he said my teacher probably loved animals very much. I do, too. Especially chicken, pork and beef.
Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal’s office. I told him what
happened, and he laughed, too. Then he told me not to do it again.
The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite live animal was.
I told her it was chicken. She asked me why, just like she’d asked the other
children. So I told her it was because you could make them into fried
chicken.
She sent me back to the principal’s office again. He laughed, and told me
not to do it again. I don’t understand. My parents taught me to be honest,
but my teacher doesn’t like it when I am.
Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what famous person we admire most.
I told her, “Colonel Sanders.”
Guess where I am now..
Never ask a question that you do not want answered. Who said teaching is easy? Gotta love it.
2 comments:
Ken- I absolutely loved your blog! You could not have done any better than with this example. I am still chuckling and am now thinking back on how many times my students laughed after I made a statement about something in the lesson plan and I did not understand why. I would just smile, pause and go on with the lesson with the plan to figure it out later. I find that yes, there is always the class clown that is not forgiving of any slip of the tongue or the wrongly phrased question and will not only make something innocent into something funny but also into something inappropriate. This sends the class into peals of laughter and sometimes triggers some very interesting conversation that I try and turn into a moment of learning. I also agree with you as far as that it can be difficult when you have that diverse demographic situation that you mentioned and would add it can be difficult due to the generation difference as well. What we think as inappropriate today is not the same for them. That is sometimes the source of my confusion. Bravo to your blog this week!
Thanks Theresa
Post a Comment