He Really Did Just Want Some Extra Study Material
Tomorrow is the day of the semi-annual placement test, and my students were beside themselves with anxiety. The instant the first person read my note on the board and urgently translated it to everyone else, my lesson on appointment-making was history. All they wanted to do was review practice test questions (we have old test forms in the cabinet, and my students know they're there), over and over and over.
"Teach-ah, I no good, I no good," they lamented to me, "test no easy, no easy!"
We reviewed, and they begged me to let them take the tests home so that they could study. This is really not allowed, and I told them that, much to their dismay.
After class, Tou Houa, a 21-year old with tattoos and long, stringy hair that he combs straight down over his eyes, stayed to talk with me. He smiled at me (I think--his mouth is pretty well concealed by his hair) and said,
"Teach-ah, Chong take test." It took a few exchanges for me to understand that Tou Houa was actually tattling on his friend Chong, who apparently had escaped with a test in his backpack. Tou Houa met my eyes in this weird kind of challenge, and I got it: I either bust Chong, or I let Tou Houa take home a test. In a "I don't really want to choose this battle, but I guess I have to" moment, the two of us marched out the room in search of Chong, whom we spotted walking VERY quickly toward the front door.
"CHONG!" Tou Houa shouted, and I glanced sideways at the hallway monitor who likes to give me a hard time about my students not wearing their IDs. Chong waved at us like he was leaving, but Tou Houa yelled something in Hmong, amusement evident in his tone, and Chong headed back toward us, eyes on the ground.
Chong made me ask him for the test. At first he acted like he didn't understand, but I knew better--he's my #1 student--so he guility handed it over to me. He glared at Tou Houa, who just laughed, and after Chong said, "Sorry, teach-ah," to me, the two of them started arguing in Hmong, and hitting each other only half-playfully.
I should have known better than to think that the year would finish up without at least ONE more middle school flashback!
"Teach-ah, I no good, I no good," they lamented to me, "test no easy, no easy!"
We reviewed, and they begged me to let them take the tests home so that they could study. This is really not allowed, and I told them that, much to their dismay.
After class, Tou Houa, a 21-year old with tattoos and long, stringy hair that he combs straight down over his eyes, stayed to talk with me. He smiled at me (I think--his mouth is pretty well concealed by his hair) and said,
"Teach-ah, Chong take test." It took a few exchanges for me to understand that Tou Houa was actually tattling on his friend Chong, who apparently had escaped with a test in his backpack. Tou Houa met my eyes in this weird kind of challenge, and I got it: I either bust Chong, or I let Tou Houa take home a test. In a "I don't really want to choose this battle, but I guess I have to" moment, the two of us marched out the room in search of Chong, whom we spotted walking VERY quickly toward the front door.
"CHONG!" Tou Houa shouted, and I glanced sideways at the hallway monitor who likes to give me a hard time about my students not wearing their IDs. Chong waved at us like he was leaving, but Tou Houa yelled something in Hmong, amusement evident in his tone, and Chong headed back toward us, eyes on the ground.
Chong made me ask him for the test. At first he acted like he didn't understand, but I knew better--he's my #1 student--so he guility handed it over to me. He glared at Tou Houa, who just laughed, and after Chong said, "Sorry, teach-ah," to me, the two of them started arguing in Hmong, and hitting each other only half-playfully.
I should have known better than to think that the year would finish up without at least ONE more middle school flashback!
posted by Anne | 1:15 PM
1 Comments:
How did the tests go???
-Daniel
Post a Comment
<< Home