Laugh Lines April 2005

Baby Talk
While waiting for my class and another second grade class to line up for recess, a boy from the other class asked me if I knew that babies were carried in pouches. I immediately assumed he was talking about kangaroos. Before I could respond to his question, he announced that his mother was having her pouch taken out that day.
Lori Hagee
Plainfield, IN

Hearing an Echosystem
As my kindergarten class was beginning to study the Chesapeake Bay, I was assessing prior knowledge. I asked if anyone knew the meaning of the word "ecosystem" and without hesitation, one boy's hand shot up. Gratified to see his enthusiasm, I called on him immediately. He responded, "It's when you say "Hello" and you keep hearing, "Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello…"
Maureen Davis
Davidsonville, MD

The Magic Word
Recently, while my kindergarten class was on the playground, one of my students who was on the swings said, "Give me a push!" We had been working on good manners, so I asked him what the magic word was. Without missing a beat, he replied, "Abracadabra?"
Karen Taylor
Mountain City, TN

A King and Queen
During a recent discussion about Martin Luther King Jr., my kindergarten students became curious as to what happened to him and why we celebrate his birthday with a day off from school. I explained to them briefly that not everyone had agreed with Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideas and he was assassinated. I said that we used his birthday as a day to honor him and remember him for all the things he did for our country. Then one of the students asked about his wife. I answered, "Mrs. King is still alive and helps to send Martin Luther King's message that everyone should be treated equally." A puzzled look came over six-year-old Kara's face as she said, "Don't you mean Mrs. Queen?"
Lynn Kelly
Rushville, NY

Capital C
During a Social Studies lesson about our state of California, I asked my first graders if they knew what the capital of our state was. Having not yet taught this, there was only one little hand that went up. I was content to have this student either guess or teach the class about our state capital.

When I called on him, he confidently answered, "C!"
Debbie Blair
El Cajon, CA

It Was a Very Good Year
One of our fourth grade classes was doing a timeline of their school life on the computer. They were to put their grade, teacher's name and something important about that year on their timeline. One of the students was working on his year in second grade and the important event he noted was, "It was the year he learned he was lactose and tolerant."
Laura Sloan
Baraboo, WI