From time to time in my classes the students will play a game known as “The Hot Seat.” The game consists of one (or two students depending on class size) seated with their backs to the blackboard, in the hot seat if you will. The other students in the class can see the word written on the board, and will attempt to get the person in the hot seat to bellow this word.
Occassionally some kid in a class will be a smartass and request a “hard word” when it is their turn in the hot seat. Usually I will oblige them in this request and offer up some impossible word for their level to explain. Something like Marxism or diplodocus. The students in the class who have to explain these words will groan and I will change it, but the other day something strange happened.
One girl in the hot seat asked for a word that was “a little bit hard.” I wrote “Germany” on the board, a couple kids moaned, but before I could erase it and write something else, one girl bellowed (in English) “It’s Hitler’s home!” and did a Heil Hitler salute. The girl on the hot seat (who is not really the sharpest crayon in the picnic basket) asked, “Uh…Germany?”
Seriously it made no sense what-so-ever. These were 4th and 5th grade students, not high school or college aged students. How were those girls able to guess the correct answer so quickly? Trying to think back to my youth I’m not even sure if I knew who Hitler was in 4th grade, but I know for a fact that being told in a language other than my native language that “this country was Hitler’s home,” would have caused me to sucessfully bellow “Germany” in whatever foreign language is being spoken by me in the alternate 4th grade reality.
That’s incredible. I don’t even know if I would have come to the conclusion to blurt that out… although being the age I am, should I have been the guesser, I may have responded Austria to be the double smartass. You’ve got some quick thinkers.
Comment by Brandon — October 28, 2005 @ 0:36 am
quick thinkers…? or burgeoning neo-nazis? nationalism at another level!
Comment by Andy — October 28, 2005 @ 4:38 am
maybe there’s another Hitler on Pokemon?
Comment by Swiss James — October 28, 2005 @ 9:56 am
““It’s Hitler’s home!” and did a Heil Hitler salute.”
Give a mark for getting the first part right, and then give her extra credit for the salute.
Comment by peemil — October 28, 2005 @ 10:42 am
try writing “USA” on the board…perhaps they will shout “it’s bush’s home!” w/ the middle finger. :p
Comment by kevin — October 29, 2005 @ 1:44 am