Poor boy.
It was a sixth grade lesson about what they wanted to be when they grew up. I had my back to the class, writing on the board.
One of the boys sitting at the back of the room shouted out:
"I want cock!"
Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I really don't think there is. If a kid shouts that out halfway through a class, I will burst out laughing whether I am twenty-five years old or not, and I will feel completely justified in doing so.
"No you don't; you're twelve." I replied, turning around.
The kid had no idea what I had said, but he gathered I was laughing at him and thought it was because he had made a mistake.
"I... want to... be... a cock?" he corrected himself, and he mimed putting on a hat.
I stared, utterly baffled, until it finally clicked:
"Cook. You want to be a cook."
Worst katakana word ever.
[You can't say 'cock'.] I explained in Japanese. [It... ah... means something different in English.]
[What does it mean, sensei?] asked a girl.
I turned to her soberly. [It means 'male chicken'.]
She laughed, levelled her pointing finger at the boy. "Cock! You want to be cock!"
Of course I couldn't tell them. Tell a class of twelve-year-olds what it means in English and they will never forget, they will use the word inappropriately, obnoxiously all the time andI will be fired.
One of the boys sitting at the back of the room shouted out:
"I want cock!"
Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I really don't think there is. If a kid shouts that out halfway through a class, I will burst out laughing whether I am twenty-five years old or not, and I will feel completely justified in doing so.
"No you don't; you're twelve." I replied, turning around.
The kid had no idea what I had said, but he gathered I was laughing at him and thought it was because he had made a mistake.
"I... want to... be... a cock?" he corrected himself, and he mimed putting on a hat.
I stared, utterly baffled, until it finally clicked:
"Cook. You want to be a cook."
Worst katakana word ever.
[You can't say 'cock'.] I explained in Japanese. [It... ah... means something different in English.]
[What does it mean, sensei?] asked a girl.
I turned to her soberly. [It means 'male chicken'.]
She laughed, levelled her pointing finger at the boy. "Cock! You want to be cock!"
Of course I couldn't tell them. Tell a class of twelve-year-olds what it means in English and they will never forget, they will use the word inappropriately, obnoxiously all the time andI will be fired.