Funny Things About My Kids

9/28/09

1) They Tend to Have Their Pants on Backwards:
It is common for kindergarteners to go to school all day. Therefore, they eat, nap, and have snacks at school. (In America I went to kindergarten only in the morning. We used to have AM and PM classes. I think that’s how it’s still done. Makes more sense to me to do it that way…) Anyhow, I often teach the kids right after they awake from their naps. I ALWAYS have at least 3-4 students per class have their pants on backwards. WTF?! The teachers must be exposed to so many wardrobe malfunctions that they don’t fix any of them.

2) They Love to be “Tickled” and Give/Receive High Fives:
My students looooove high fives. It brings an instant smile to their faces. If they bring me the right graphic, they get a high five. If they tell me the right answer, they get a high five. And so on. If they have been good during a particular class, I will go around the room at the end and give them all high fives. About half respond with, “tickle!” So, you make a funny noise and “tickle” them and they giggle so hard. This tactic would never fly in America. I think it would be called “harassment.”

3) They Are Insanely Meticulous (for 4-6 year olds):
We use laminated ‘graphics’ to teach the kids English words. A lot of times we’ll play games with them. The gist of most of the games is for the kids to bring me a certain graphic that I ask for (the pictures are usually spread out on the floor). If any of the graphics are lopsided, turned the wrong way, or touching one another, the kids go nuts. It’s pretty hilarious to see them rush up to the middle of the floor to align the pictures perfectly. And to think they are only in kindergarten….

4) They Love Sporting the Chinglish:
I devoted a paragraph in one my recent blogs about some of the shirts my students wear. The ‘Chinglish’ written on them causes some serious lol-ing. What makes me really giggle is that I totally have repeat offenders. One crazy boy named, Lee (weird coincidence he shares the name of my brother), always wears the funniest shirts. In one week he managed to pull off a “Black is the new black,” and “I didn’t do it” (with a skanky looking cartoon figure looking like he was up to no good). There are far too many one’s to comment on.

5) They Really Enjoy Dancing:
We dance and sing in our classes every day. I’m clearly not a trained teacher, so I have no idea if this is normal, but the kids love to sing and dance. They hop around and perform in solos, duets, and groups. The boys are just as interested, if not more, than the girls. It’s awesome to watch.

6) They Have Some Questionable Holes in Their Pants:
In China, babies wear ‘spilt pants.’ The name describes what they’re used for…relieving themselves on streets, in museum trashcans, and the sidewalks of the city. It was pretty disturbing at first, and I still think it’s really weird, but it’s an everyday occurrence. What is NOT normal is seeing little boys’ pee-pees through holes in their pants at age 5. Time to zip it up and put it away like a man. I understand the occasional slip up and having some problems exposing your private parts when you’re little. But, intentional holes in your trousers need to go.

Baobei: Child