Funny things that happen in the classroom

I always love it when a student tells me about a connection he or she made at home, between what we're learning in Spanish class and the real world. Sometimes they tell me about a trip they took or a restaurant they went to, where they were able to speak Spanish to someone there. Other times I hear about what they shared with their parents or babysitters. In fact, often I hear "My babysitter says you teach the wrong word for .....", which leads to a great discussion of regional differences in Spanish.

Sometimes, though, despite all the planning and teaching and reinforcing, the kids go home with their own version of things.

My favorite was after I had taught the song "Me duele la cabeza," which is a fun way to review parts of the body. The refrain is, "La cabeza, me duele la cabeza; la cabeza, llámale al doctor." (My head hurts, call the doctor.) It goes on to include the throat, the stomach, the back, and the feet. Lots of movement and lots of fun for the kids as they dance through the song and act out all the different body parts that hurt.

One of my younger students came back one day and said, "Señora Kunstadter, I told my parents about that song you taught us, la cerveza!!

I waited for the phone calls to come, but either the parents like Mexican beer as much as I do, or they have a head on their shoulders and knew that their child was reporting it wrong. Gracias a Dios for parents who take these things with a grain of salt! These days you can be served your cabeza on a platter for just about anything you do in the classroom.....and then you would really need that cerveza... o dos.... o tres!