Questions 10 year olds asked in class today...
(Do take note that these questions were asked by kids in Msia, which is a rather conservative country, and also this is not my experience but from a fellow FB friend who became a part-time teacher.
1. Teacher, you know what anal is?
2. Teacher, do you play the "sax"?
3. Teacher, why don't you just say out the word "sex"... ? We know what it is.
4. Teacher, what does this makes you think? *while playing with 2 scissors*.
5. Do you know what naughty boys are made of? They are made of dicks...
6. Can you say something hamsup (perverted)?
According to her, she didn't know how to handle these questions and proceeded to teach as normal. I believe that to be a wrong move. If kids are curious (even though they may seem like they are "trolling"a you), it isn't hard to answer these questions using science. So they can learn something besides the "usual perverted misinformation" that they hear from the older kids in the family.
Let me teach you how to answer these questions... in my way of course :P
(You can dumb down the answers so 10-year-old kids can understand these sentences or intersperse them with local slang so it won't sound too lofty)
(You can dumb down the answers so 10-year-old kids can understand these sentences or intersperse them with local slang so it won't sound too lofty)
My Answers As The Teacher
1. Yes, the word "anal" means "related to the anus", which is in other words, your butt. For example, an anal examination by the doctor, means that the doctor will check your anus for problems.
2. I do not play the saxophone. In fact, I do not know how to play any musical instruments, so if you had the chance to learn a musical instrument, do cherish it the best you can.
3. - I'll avoid this question straightaway by merely uttering the word as it should be. There's no shame in that. OR if you made the mistake of NOT saying it, you can try to BS your way out of this question by saying "You must have misheard me I did say 'sex'."
4. I think that it's dangerous for you to play with scissors and some more during my class. Bring the scissors over here... since you can't seem to take care of yourself, I'll help you keep the scissors until the end of class so you won't accidentally hurt yourself or others.
5. No, naughty boys are made up of everything that humans are made up of. We are basically the same. It's just our brains that are wildly different and unique/ special
6. Well, if I want to, I could. When you reach my age, you'll have learned enough of the language to say whatever you like. It's just how you use those words - your words - that matters... and of course, this means that you should only say things that you mean and think before you talk.
(and turns the question into a life lesson on how to use your words properly and responsibly) hehe :P
At the very end, try to turn the entire class back to focusing on the topic at hand. Threaten them with something minor like stay back if you cannot finish today's class, more homework (you can say that "I've planned to let you all do your homework in class today, but since I'm running out of time, you may now need to do them at home...") and stuff like that... The homework part works well most of the time in my case. :)
So, yeah if you encounter kids like that in the future, at least you can turn these troll-like questions into a more educational form and hopefully be able to teach them something new. Whether they will misuse the info you provide, well, that's a whole other matter. :P
