Purple is NOT an animal

Ooohhh my goodnessssssssss. Teaching really does test your patience. I nearly had a breakdown today when I was teaching the 2 youngest children animals with flashcards , pictures and the word. We had rabbits, lions, tigers, birds, elephants, etc.

I kept thinking that they had FINALLY got it so would hold up a card. It is a rabbit.
'Purple'he says.
'No, purple (pointing to my very purple top) is a colour...R A B B I T rabbit'. 'Rabbit', he says.
I hold up another card. It is a lion.
'Purple' he says.
'No! Purple (pointing to top) Purple (pointing to purple on wall) Purple (pointing to purple on his bag) L I O N....Lion.
'Lion', he says.
I hold up another card. It is a bird.
'Bird', he says.
'Goooood' I hold up another card. It is a dog.
'Cat'
'No'
'Lion'
'No'
'Monkey'
'No'
'Purple'
OOOOOooooooooooooooooooooohhhh myyyyy goooodnessssss. Calm breaths. Take a moment. Smile at the little boy. Look for help. 'Can someone please translate to Piup that PURPLE is a colour NOT an animal...' Srey Deith explains in Khmer to him. He seems to understand.
I hold up a Monkey.

You can just imagine...


On friday, the same boy came to the lesson. We sat down ready to play a game of Bingo when the children start laughing and holding their noses. I ask what's wrong. 'Piup, Piup! Poo' one of the older students says while pointing at his grubby t shirt that has a big lump of chicken poo stuck to the front. I keep my serious mature teacher face on....for about 10 seconds saying maybe he should go and wash it before I crack and I am laughing..a lot. The children find it hilerious that I have just cracked up and are all laughing at the poo and at me. Little Piup, starts to laugh, histerically, I was worried he might have been crying but it was the funniest moment. He just could NOT stop laughing. He takes off his t shirt and washes it under the water pump outside. He spends the rest of the lesson wearing just his shorts. We go to sit outside in a circle to play a game. The children start to giggle...again. I look over and Piup, sitting topless, has a huge hole in the crotch of his shorts. Poor little one. Again, he laughs so much, then gets up and does a dance like a chicken before sitting down with his chicken poo t shirt covering the hole.

I think I might buy him a new pair of shorts.

On my way to school yesterday I cycled past a little boy next to the river, I thought he was making cat noises but I looked down to see a cat swimming and climbing onto the bank of the river. The little boy picked up the cat and hurled it back into the river.... Wasn't quite sure what to do.. (Don't get any ideas Dad).