Kids Are Funny

This week is my last full week with my hilarious, adorable class.  I'm so sad that they will be leaving me soon because every day they make me smile with the things they do and say.  I thought I'd share some of the funny things heard in the Immersion third grade Tigers class this year.


For the longest time, every day Gwen would grab my arm and say, "Mrs. Lauren, can I eat you??" and pretend to bite me.  This was a running joke she did for FOUR months, and expected me to laugh with her each time about it.


Kevin (as he writhes around on the floor): "I Can't move! Please pull me to my desk!"
Me: "Kevin, you are moving right now!"
Kevin: "No, my legs don't work."
So I pulled him across the floor to the listening station.
Kevin: "Mrs. Lauren Taxi!!!!!!"


Gwen (making one hand into the shape of half a heart): "Mrs. Lauren and..." (making the other hand into the other half of the heart) "Mrs. Kris..." (then putting the hands together in a whole heart) "...is this!!!"


My students sit on a carpet for English time and I sit in front of them in a chair.  One day when I moved the chair closer, Lenny said, "Oh!  Mrs. Lauren is 3-D!!!!"


Me (giving a spelling word): "Who can tell me a sentence with the word 'kisses'?"
The whole class puts their hands up and some students giggle.
Me: "Who can tell me a sentence that isn't about me or Mr. Kris?"
All the hands go down.


Gwen held a baby bunny up to the window of an English class and spoke in a high 'bunny' voice, "I want to learn English!"


Brett wrote: "Mrs. Lauren is nice.  But sometimes she is crazy."


Me (during spelling). "The next word is 'kisses'.  It is funny when the dog kiss the cat."
Anita: "I think Mr. Kris is the dog and Mrs. Lauren is the cat."


When we were learning about Scandinavia, Kevin pointed to Finland and said, "Santa Claus lives here!"  I thought this was hilarious, but found out the next day that Japanese people (as well as Scandinavians) believe that Santa lives in Finland and not the North Pole.


Brett: "Mrs. Lauren, I am clean-upping the game."


I tried to teach two of my students a line from the movie elf and tell it to another teacher when he was teasing them about something.  The couldn't quite get it.  Instead of "You sit on a throne of lies!" they told him "You sit on a throne of eyes!"


One day before leaving for a field trip, I asked Kris to sweep my room.  While I was talking to him, Lenny ran circles around us, pretending to take pictures of us like the paparazzi.


Erik: "Where is Brett?"
Christina: "He is gone.  He is dead."
My students have a sick sense of humor that I'm pretty sure they got from Greg or me.


Mr. Greg: "Why does the balloon float up?"
Brett: "Because air is go-upping!"


Kevin: "Mrs. Lauren, your cheeks are red!  Are you thinking about Mr. Kris?!"


Everyday for the last two months, Kevin has come into class with a neck warmer pulled over his face and pretends to be a robber.  He takes something and runs out of the room, saying, "I am the robber!" and he won't come back until I pretend to call the police.


Kevin (drawing a picture of a sword): "This is Peter Pan's sword."
Then the whole class started laughed and said, "Peter Pan's? Peed her pants!!! Peed her pants!!?"


Greg and I taught our soccer-obsessed students to play basketball.  One day, as we were playing, we notice Lenny just standing under the hoop while everyone else and the ball were on the other side of the court.  "Lenny, what are you doing," Greg asked.  Waving his hands around, Lenny said, "Guard! Guard!".  We tried to explain that there are no goalies in basketball, but he didn't seem to get it.


Playing kickball with my students is like watching three year olds play soccer: they run around and don't seem to get the concept.  Many times, my students all fight over being able to touch the ball, no matter how many home runs they let happen. Other times, they just aren't that into it.  When I was getting ready to pitch the ball, I noticed that 4 of the kids on my team were walking around the outfield, staring up at the sunny, blue sky, and pretending to grab at something.  "What are you doing?" I asked them.  "We are catching the rain!"  There was no rain that day.


One day during English time on the carpet, Lenny leaned forward and sniffed my shoe and cried out, "Oh, stinky salad!"


Another teacher was teaching his students about making comparisons.  A few days later one of his students came in from playtime and said, "I'm hot as hell!"


When one of Kris' students had wet hair from playtime, the students smoothed it down and flipped up the front and said, "I'm Mr. Kris!"


During my high school class, I asked my 8th grade girls to tell me something that was 'jumbo'.  One girl said, "My English teacher is jumbo."  I stared at her with wide eyes and said her name in shock.  She said, "No, really, she is jumbo!"  I calmly looked at her said, "Erica, I can't believe you would say that about me."  Then her face got bright red and she shook her head and started bowing as she explained, "No!  No!  Not you!  My English teacher at my Japanese school!"  Phew!


Greg taught his students to yell, "Mrs. Lauren, stop disrupting our learning time!" when I come into their classroom.  Meanwhile, all my students beg Greg to come into our classroom.

I tried to teach Greg's students to say, "Stop brainwashing us" (in response to his teaching them to say "Stop disrupting our learning time), but as you can see from the picture, my plans failed.  His student wrote, "Mrs. Lauren is brainwashing with her students."

For one a game of word Jenga, students had to say a sentence for a word they picked and then write the sentence.  Look at the second sentence.

雛祭り (Hinamatsuri) -- Doll's Festival

The Doll Festival, Hinamatsuri, is held on March 3 in Japan.  It's a day that families celebrate young girls and pray for their growth.  In the days leading up to Hinamatsuri, a red stair platform that holds several special dolls (called hinaningyo) is on display in homes.  The dolls aren't ordinary dolls, but special ones used only for the festival, and are often passed down through families.  Young girls often have a special party for their friends followed by a dinner with family; though these events were more formal in the past.  Sometimes girls wear kimono for the celebrations.

Hina ningyo - Dolls for the doll festival

The top tier of the doll display holds the Emperor and Empress

To celebrate Hinamatsuri, our Japanese teacher, Makiko Sensei, invited our class of five students downtown for a special kimono-wearing-tea-drinking event sponsored by the international center.  It was a fun experience -- though, I think the guys enjoyed going out for pizza afterward more than the actual event itself.

When we got there, we choose kimono and waited to be dressed.  Several volunteers from the international center were there to dress us (because putting on a kimono is quite a complex process) and do our hair.  While we waited, I was entertained by watching an ADORABLE three-year-old girl walking around in a pink kimono and oversized slippers.  

A little, old Japanese lady (who probably came up to my elbow), dressed me in a kimono.  She may have been small, but she was fiesty and tough.  She bundled me up in the kimono so tight I think she further bruised my ribs.   She kept asking, "Daijyobuo desuka? (Is this okay?)" as she hit my chest.  She copped quite a feel on me -- but I guess that's all part of what it's like to get dressed up in kimono!

After we were dressed, we went into another room to join the guys for photos and tea.  There was also an origami table for making origami and a display of hinaningyo dolls.  We didn't stay long, but we had a good time experiencing another aspect of Japanese culture.

This wedding kimono, worn by a bride, is made with real gold thread.

Aaron, Kris, Bethany, and me

Bethany and me
Please note that I had NO CHOICE about that HUGE thing that is in my hair.

Me and Kris with the doll display

I was so embarrassed when Kris kissed me on the cheek for this photo because public displays of affection are NOT a part of Japanese culture.  When this picture was taken, all the Japanese women in the room looked at us and gasped.

Me with the kimono from behind

Our Japanese class (without Greg): Aaron, Makiko Sensei, Kris, Me, Bethany

Kris and Aaron

Kris was very proud of the paper crane he made.

Kris getting full use of his samurai kimono

Hurry Up! No! Slow Down!

There are about three weeks left in the school year.  That's right -- in Japan the school year ends in late March and resumes in April (and the kids go to school year-round).  I can't believe I've had my class for an entire year already!


I'm pretty excited about the end of the school year for one reason: SPRING BREAK!!!!!  Kris and I have our plane tickets bought, our hotels reserved, and have already started looking into the adventures we'll be having in Bali, Indonesia!!!!!!!  We are sooooooo looking forward to this trip: we'll be relaxing at a very nice resort on a white sands beach, exploring the culture of the island, tasting civet coffee, touring rice fields and volcanoes, eating Balinese food, getting daily massages and shopping til our suitcases explode (the latter two activities being mine, not Kris's).  Though we only have a week off for spring break (and between school years), we are greatly anticipating sharing this adventurous and relaxing trip together (We joke that it will be our 3rd honeymoon...the 2nd honeymoon was our trip to Thailand).  I often find myself wishing for these last three weeks to speed up so I could be on the beach fast!


But then I remember that after this break is over I won't be going back to my same classroom with my same kids.  And I want to yell, "No! Time, slow yo'self down!!!!!!"  I love Love LOVE my students this year; I don't want them to leave me and go on to a new class.  Every day I find myself laughing at different things they say and do; every day, they make me excited to go to work.


I know that next year will be another good year teaching at MeySen.  I'm sure there will be some sweet, funny kids in my next class.  But there is just something really special about this group of kids.  Maybe it's because they are the first class that I've taught completely on my own; maybe it's the way that Sally works so hard and has come so far in the year and always has a smile on her face every day; maybe it's the way Kendell always cracks jokes that make me howl or surprises me with his wit and incredible intelligence; maybe it's the way that Gwen hugs me when she comes in and wants to cuddle up in my lap at snack time or hold my hand during play time; perhaps it's from Evan, a "tough guy", screaming in a high pitched voice like a little girl when we are playing soccer or tag and sending me into hysterics; maybe it's about how I always have to remind Anita that she should be working on her stations and not doing ballet in the back of the classroom; maybe it's the way that Levi used to be my biggest struggle but has climbed his way into my heart and now gives me the greatest joy (and a lot of funny stories to tell); maybe it's how Zeke is a wealth of knowledge and the humility I feel after hearing him speak; maybe it has to do with how hungry these kids are for God's word.


All I know is that, for whatever reason, these kids have a special place in my heart.  And though I am excited for spring break, I'm going to  slow down and enjoy every moment I have with them before they move on to fourth grade.  Thank goodness that next year they'll just be across the hall! :-)

My Class

PS. Yeah, I made that tiger heart ;-) It has the kids names on it, but I had to blot them out.