3 funny teaching stories and a lesson

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Ever since I started teaching, there were many situations where I just was so taken aback by my students' innocence or trolling. As a teacher, there are times where I assume that my students knew exactly what I meant. However, I have been proven wrong many times. Although some of these incidents were innocent mistakes, some of these are just the older students playing pranks on me or, as the internet would put it, trolling me.

Thus, here are 3 funny stories where this has happened. The incidents are arranged from innocence to pure trolling. So sit back and I hope you will get a good laugh out of this.

A Competitive Swimmer Drowning

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I have just finished teaching a swimming class and was talking to a parent about their child's progress. A student walked up to me and asked if he could bring his toys and play with it in the pool. This child, whom we shall call Eric was a competitive swimmer but he was only 6.

I told Eric that he could, but he could only bring one toy in. The pool was deep and he needed at least one hand to swim. He agreed and I continued talking with another parent. After a few minutes, Eric's grandmother ran towards me and pointed frantically at Eric who was at the bottom of the pool. She was frantic, claiming that Eric had drowned.

I quickly dropped my phone on the floor and dove into the pool fully clothed. I grabbed Eric and quickly lifted him to the side of the pool. Praying silently that he was ok and that I remembered my CPR. As we reached the side, Eric looked at me, curious and asked with an innocent...

What?

I told him that I thought he was drowning. He replied that he was fine and I asked what was he doing submerged under water. At this point, Eric was still clutching his toys. He looked at me and said...

I couldn't decide which toy to choose so I dove in with both of them. I was deciding which would play better under water.

I couldn't helped but laughed. To pay for his innocence. I drove him in my car wet. At least he was ok.

Bring A Notebook To Class

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I recently got rather annoyed with Nathan. He was unwilling to bring his notebook to class. He always came free and easy to class, no bags, no books, just his pencil case. I gave him an ultimatum. He was required to come next week with his notebook and books. I told him that at the very least, he should bring something to write on.

He nodded, apologized and told me that it will never happen again. The next day, he came to class the same way he did yesterday. No books, no bag, just a pencil case. However, this time, he held a piece of paper in his hand. It was the kind of paper that parents would use to write a note to the teacher. A lot went through my mind. Did I do something wrong? Was there a complaint? I asked Nathan if his parents had a note for me.

Nathan replied that it was not a note but an empty piece of paper for class. I asked him why would he do this. If I was drinking something at this point, I would probably spit it out. Nathan replied that I asked him to bring something to write on. So he brought that piece of paper.

I guess I should've been clearer. I don't know how he was going to write an essay on a small piece of paper. As much as I tell myself that it was my mistake. I think I saw a smirk on his face as he walked in.

Write Anything You Want

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I was teaching a creative writing class to second language speakers. During one of the lessons, I told my students to write anything they like. The students could choose any topics that interests them and write about it. I told the students that they are free to express themselves.

In hindsight, I should've left the 'free to express yourself' out. The next day, all my students handed in their essays. I was thrilled. The problem was that some of them wrote in their first language. Thus, I received essays in mandarin and Malay. Furthermore, a few of them decided to write a one sentence essay. One even wrote:

Got up of bed today and went to class, good day so far.

One of them decided to write of his first time having sex. I sat in my chair. Truth be told, I was pretty sure some of them knew what I meant but they found a loophole in the task.

Conclusion

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So the lesson to all of you teaching a class of smart students or adults is this, be clear in your instructions. It is wise to leave no room for misinterpretation. Of course, if the students are out to play a prank on you, there's really no way to prepare for that.

I do play pranks on my students too. Thus, if they were to do the same, I won't mind. I believe that if you can dish it, you should be able to take it. That being said, April fool is just around the corner and I have to start preparing for that. I hope you have enjoyed the post. Do let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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