Expect the Unexpected

Students crack me up. Yesterday in class we were playing a round of the game “Two Truths and a Lie.” First I gave mine:   

1.  I worked for the circus.
2.  I know how to surf.
3.  I once flew a plane. 

The students guessed at which one was the lie and I fooled them all! I then instructed the students to write down their two truths and a lie. After exchanging their information with partners, I called on a few volunteers to share theirs. I did this for three classes in a row and the activity went well. The students’ lies included false marriages, number of brothers and sisters, favorite sports, etc. During the last class most of the students wanted to share their lists. After completing the activity, one student begged to read his and I approved. He read his paper with a booming voice:

1. I am proud to be a travesty.
2. I know how to drive.
3. I play football. 

The class looked puzzled. I asked him to clarify the first one again and he declared, “ I am proud to be a travesty, a gay.” Ohhhhhhhh. His classmates looked confused and everyone’s faces were blank. This rowdy, rambunctious group was instantly silent. Then, I explained to the class the difference between being a transvestite and being gay. I also assured the students that we were NOT discussing our personal perspectives about what we thought about gay people or transvestites, just explaining the definition of the terms. One student raised her hand and said, “A gay person is someone who likes people of the same race.” If that was the case, most of the world would be gay!

I moved on with the lesson as quickly as possible. This was NOT the English class vocabulary I had planned on covering.  I am learning that Mauritanian students, like students everywhere, are anything but predictable.