It's finals day for the community college, college algebra was the class. A student named Joe shows up early to do some last minute review.
I walked by Joe and said hello. He replied and I saw what looked like a piece of broccoli or a pepper corn between his front teeth, but I didn't say anything.
Having read my expression he said, "Oh, hey, I got a new piercing." He had 9 already. "It's right here." He smiled, showing me the broccoli in his teeth.
"Wow, that's really something," I said, and then asked the typical question about pain.
"No it didn't hurt. And the best part, it was free."
Good thing he didn't pay someone to make it look like broccoli is stuck between your teeth.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Separate but zep ah rah tay.
I taught some mathematical algorithm today. I wrote the steps out in words in one column, and an example in the another.
A student was reading, and copying silently, as all others were doing, when she belted with authority, "What the hell is (I'll write it phonetically) zep ah rah tay?"
I told her that the word was separate.
She said, "That's not how you spell separate."
Well, apparently not.
A student was reading, and copying silently, as all others were doing, when she belted with authority, "What the hell is (I'll write it phonetically) zep ah rah tay?"
I told her that the word was separate.
She said, "That's not how you spell separate."
Well, apparently not.
Monday, December 14, 2009
What came first...the chicken or the nog?
Today, while talking about various things, a student we'll call Lucia asked if I liked eggnog. I said I did.
A student asked Lucia, "What is eggnog?"
Lucia said, "A drink," she paused, "made from eggs."
The student asked, "What's the nog part?"
Lucia immediately said, "The middle part of the egg."
I said, "Lucia, that's called the yolk."
"Mister, I'm not STUPID," she said with annoyance.
"Ok."
A student asked Lucia, "What is eggnog?"
Lucia said, "A drink," she paused, "made from eggs."
The student asked, "What's the nog part?"
Lucia immediately said, "The middle part of the egg."
I said, "Lucia, that's called the yolk."
"Mister, I'm not STUPID," she said with annoyance.
"Ok."
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Got what?
There is a small class of freshmen I have for two hours a day, and since yesterday was the first day back from Thanksgiving break, I decided to do a little team-building activity.
The students took turns telling the most interesting thing that happened to them during their break. After everybody had a turn, I was going to give them a "quiz." The quiz would go like this: I'd mention some detail of a story, then call on a student. The student I called on would have to say whose story it was I had mentioned. If someone blurted out an answer, they lost a point.
After explaining the rules, I randomly called on students to tell their story. Since I had agreed to allow the students to use notes on the "quiz," when a student was telling a story, the others were taking notes on the story (so was I). I called on a young lady we'll call Mary.
Mary isn't quite shy, but doesn't want to be the center of attention. She refused to tell her story while "they're all looking at me!" So, I instructed the class to look at a sign on the opposite wall and listen while Mary told her story. The sign was the district's new motto. A student tried to read it out loud (a typical act from a 14 year old), and said, I'll spell it as she read it, eh - do - kah - tay. The sign read, "Educate Every One, Every Day." Hilarity, of course, ensued.
We get back to Mary's story. Again, everybody looked at the opposite wall. Mary said, in the quickened speech of a 14 year old girl, with a distinct Nogales accent, "On Thanksgiving day I went to Sonora and got laid."
What she meant was that she went to Sonora and came home late, after dinner had started.
The students took turns telling the most interesting thing that happened to them during their break. After everybody had a turn, I was going to give them a "quiz." The quiz would go like this: I'd mention some detail of a story, then call on a student. The student I called on would have to say whose story it was I had mentioned. If someone blurted out an answer, they lost a point.
After explaining the rules, I randomly called on students to tell their story. Since I had agreed to allow the students to use notes on the "quiz," when a student was telling a story, the others were taking notes on the story (so was I). I called on a young lady we'll call Mary.
Mary isn't quite shy, but doesn't want to be the center of attention. She refused to tell her story while "they're all looking at me!" So, I instructed the class to look at a sign on the opposite wall and listen while Mary told her story. The sign was the district's new motto. A student tried to read it out loud (a typical act from a 14 year old), and said, I'll spell it as she read it, eh - do - kah - tay. The sign read, "Educate Every One, Every Day." Hilarity, of course, ensued.
We get back to Mary's story. Again, everybody looked at the opposite wall. Mary said, in the quickened speech of a 14 year old girl, with a distinct Nogales accent, "On Thanksgiving day I went to Sonora and got laid."
What she meant was that she went to Sonora and came home late, after dinner had started.
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