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Message board > Funniest Moments in Your Classroom?
Funniest Moments in Your Classroom?
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Anna P
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I just remembered something that happened with me. I was 9 years old and did not speak English. I was at a new school, trying my best to behave well and show that I was interested in learning. At that time Miss Universe pageant was very popular in Brazil and it took place in Long Beach. I wanted to know what that name meant and asked my teacher what was "bitch". She got pale, then furious, and finally sent me to the principal �s office! I was so stunned that it took me a while to explain the situation to the principal. She laughed when she realised what had really happened - but they did not explain it to me!
And years later I became the teacher of that teacher �s son! But I never sent him to the principal �s office! |
11 May 2009
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MarionG
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My funniest moment: In the beginning of the class I had pantomimed the word �swim � since some students didn �t remember what it was. We had moved on some 20 minutes and I was writing on the board when one of the student suddenly remarked out loud: "Marion, I am imagening you in a bathing suit!" There was no malice about it not even naughtiness, she was just thinking out loud.
I think I may actually have blushed since I immediatly thought of myself standing in front of a full class in my bathing suit... the stuff my nightmares are made of!!
(A student calling you grandmother (I am not even 40 yet) is NOT funny , right?) |
11 May 2009
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Gribouille9
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So funny story....
I used to be a lifeguard and was teaching a class for women who babysit or work with children around pools. So it was just about seurity around the pool and what to do if something happens (emergency...) blablabla.
So after 1 minute in the class...I had just introduced myself...I said :
Take that SHIT!
And obvisouly every woman started to laugh and so did I... then I corrected myself.
Take that sheet...
Very funny but kind of uncomfortable moment at the same time... Especially when you teach people twice your age.
HAve a good day!!! |
11 May 2009
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Vickiii
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One day a child came up and he had made a mistake using pencil. I asked the class if anyone here had a rubber. The class fell dead silent, they looked at each other and started giggling. It took me about three seconds to repeat the question - asking for an eraser please! Different cultures - different meanings - huh!
The other worst moment - I was in Chile holding a conversation class with adults. It was eleventh September - so I asked the class:
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11 May 2009
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roneydirt
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I agree with MrsVeronica on watching the students testing. We had exams at 2 of my schools 2 weeks ago (April 27- May 1st) and the other 3 weeks ago. It �s hard to have a serious look making certain the students are paying attention to only their tests when they are making some of the funniest faces while reading their tests. I will have the speech tests at the end of the month and just been drafted to give a short lecture to the other teachers in my area how to do the speech tests. That for me is funny since they, the students, get 60% for just showing up.
Making mistakes on words I would be on here all day listing the examples. Like with the word for male deer, what is said and what is perceived to be heard; buck. (I had to change the question slightly since I was talking original American traditional Thanksgiving meals. Doe went over a lot better.) But some can be English words that sound like a word in the Native Language you are teaching at. I can �t remember the word but it was an example in one of the regular vocabulary word a couple months ago. All the students were oh my goodness and laughing and I was standing there going what �s wrong when the co-teacher whispered that I said a Korean cuss word. I pointed to the chart, and she pointed that the pronunciation I had used is a cuss word and the time frame I was using was a very popular girl band. (3:20) I was just reminded of it over the weekend when the principle ask us guy teachers out for a drink. They thought it was really funny and wanted to go over it again. |
11 May 2009
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Spagman63
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My first year in Korea was interesting. I kept noticing the kids saying "molla" as they worked and wondered what it meant. One day after class, I asked a senior student about "molla". I said, "Ricky, what does �molla" mean?" He replied, "I don �t know." This went on for a while with me repeating the question and saying things like "Isn �t it Korean?" He said it was. Well, to make a long story short, he finally realised what was the problem and said, "Teacher, "molla � means "I don �t know. " LOL I felt like Abbot and Costello. I swear to you that this is 100% true. Life is often funnier than fiction.
Another thing was when I was eating some salsa and chips. I was at the front desk and one of the workers asked me what I had. I said it was �salsa � and then I asked, "Have you ever had salsa?" The Koreans burst out laughing and I was dumbfounded. I came to find out that salsa sounds just like one of their words for "the runs �. HAHA "Have you ever had the runs?" HAHA
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11 May 2009
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sazzag
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In my 1st year as a teacher in Japan I was trying to teach shapes to a particularly uninspired group of Japanese teenagers.
As I was going round the classroom one of the asked me what cone meant. Without thinking I mimed licking an icecream. Well that had the boy and all his classmates in stitches and for weeks after they were asking "Sarah sensei do you like cone?". 
I guess on the plus side at least they learnt the word  . |
11 May 2009
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