‘Cher! Mobile Apocalypse

The essay topic was “An unforgettable outdoor experience” and the picture was a picnic. To get my 10YO students thinking: Me: What would you pack for an outing like this? StudentA: My phone. In a different class, Me: What kind of games can you play at a picnic? StudentB: Phone games. In yet another class,…

Cher! Chaos

The word "pandemonium" popped up in my worksheet. I proceeded to write out the meaning on the board-- "chaos". My student pipes up: SW: Char os? Me: No, it's pronounced kay ors (keɪɒs) SW: But, Cher! You said 'ch' is always pronounced 'ch’ (tʃ) Me: (dumbfounded)… Sometimes, it’s pronounced ‘k’, like “character”. We can’t say…

’Cher! My students’ cute errors

My creative writing students occasionally make adorable gaffes. Here’s an example: I normally discourage my students from tackling death as it is a sensitive topic, and children may come across as flippant because they have little life experience with death and grief. However, one of my students, let’s call her RT, is a very capable…