Why you must have thick skin to be a teacher.

This week was "Comparisons Week" in my 6th grade classes. I (along with my co-teacher) taught the kids how to properly use adjectives to make comparisons between people, objects and animals. For example, I am faster than you or an elephant is bigger than a rabbit. We had various activities and games that emphasized the use of comparisons in reading, writing and the most memorable, speaking. After a quick PowerPoint review of the last lesson with my students I asked them to compare my co-teacher and myself which turned out to be a big mistake. My co-teacher is small for a Korean women, who are already small people. To put it simply she is VERY, VERY petite. Back at home I am of average height/weight but here I am something similar to Godzilla. So my co-teacher and myself stood in front of the each class together to allow the students to see us side by side. The activity went very well in most of my classes, they enjoyed applying what they had learned in an on the spot situation. But then came THE class. Every teacher has the class. What is the class one who is not a teacher might ask? Well it is a class that just might have been spawned from the devil himself. The class could have a number of the following traits

1-Sometimes they are so quiet you question if they are even alive
2- They look through you not at you
3-They feel as if they have something better to do than sit through your lecture
4- The kids can be just BONKERS, like they ate a box of Frosted Flakes with chocolate milk type of  BONKERS
5- Manners do not exist. Neither do inside voices, shouting is the only form of communication
6- Rules? you couldn't be sure if they have ever even heard of them
7- Smart-mouths are more common than not
8- The fact that you have a college degree and many years on them means nothing, they still know more.
9- They consciously attempt to test your patience in every way possible
10- Being difficult is all they know

The class is the reason new discipline and participation strategies are conceived and where they are tested.

Well during  the class in the beginning I wasn't sure if they were even awake. But as soon as I asked them to compare ____ teacher and myself they suddenly came to life, so eager to give their comparisons you might have believed I shot them up with pure sugar, they were climbing all over each other falling out of their chairs in desperation to be called on. The first comparisons were similar to those in all my classes.....

"Kala teacher is taller than ___ teacher."
"Kala teacher is stronger than ___ teacher."
"____teacher is shorter than Kala teacher."
 "____teacher has longer hair than Kala teacher."

But then the students got creative and more excited, hand raising went out of the window and yelling began..

 "____teacher is WHITER than Kala teacher."
 "Kala teacher is BLACKER than ___ teacher."
"____ teacher is OLDER than  Kala teacher."

and the icing on the cake and the loudest shout...

"Kala teacher is MORE FAT than ___ teacher."

First, I went bell ringing crazy to regain order in the class,  after I managed to settle everybody down  I corrected his English, "Kala teacher is FATTER than ___ teacher," and moved on. Were my feelings hurt? Not at all, but I didn't want to see what else these little demons could come up with. They weren't speaking out of malice, their vocabulary only goes so far and fat just happens to be apart of it. But even at the sake of our feelings my co-teacher and I could not really complain because at least they were speaking English.

#CHEERS2HAVINGTHICKSKIN

****follow up: After speaking to other teachers of the same grades I am pleased to say my students are angels in comparison to the stories that they have told me.