Jokes English Teachers play on their Chinese Students  − 27 March, 2001

One of the great things about teaching English in to kids in China is that you often get to name them. Chinese kids learning English pick "English names" to use in class -- it's a kind of badge of honor proving that your English is good enough to warrant an English name. Often my kids would have had English names because the only English they took was in public schools. And if they didn't have a name in mind, I'd have to name them. It was kind of my honor to do so. Little did they know...

I had a class I called my "Simpsons" class. A few of the teachers knew why, but not Amanda. "Hey Amanda, can you sub for me on Tuesday?"
"Sure thing. What class is it?"
"Jr. High. My 'Simpsons' class."
"Heh. Sure thing."
She thought I called them that because they were badly behaved. It wasn't until she started reading roll... Bart? Here. Maggie? Here. Lisa? Here. That's when she figured it out. She could hardly teach the class she kept laughing

I had classes for all sorts of movies and TV shows. I wanted a Terrence and a Phillip in the same class, but I never got one. I wanted to say to them,
“Class, do you want to hear a Canadian joke? Terrence, pull my finger.” Then some day they’d get a Canadian teacher and say “lao-SHI. I know a Canadian joke. Terrence pull my finger.”

It's kind of like getting back at them for selling us T-shirts with pretty calligraphy of characters that translate as "foreigner."