This blog of "the mines"

So, yeah. It's been awhile. Hard to get motivated to post. Here's a funny story to start things off again.

As a teacher of English language learners we come across all sorts of misconceptions and mistakes. Most of them are so endearing and I only hope that when I speak caveman Spanish it comes across half as charming as when my students make mistakes in English.

These mistakes can also become epidemics if we're not careful. By epidemic, I'm referring to the "Me, no" epidemic that we're still trying to get under control. Instead of "not me" or "it's not mine" the kids, and I mean almost all of them, will say "me, no".

Miss Lacey: Whose paper is this on the floor?
Student #1: Me, no
Miss Lacey: First of all, I wasn't asking whose paper it isn't. And second of all, you say "it's not mine"!

Miss Lacey: If you didn't finish your writing, then you have to stay in on your free time.
Student #2: Me, no. I finished mine.
Miss Lacey: Great. Don't need to know if you finished it. And, it's "not me".

Miss Lacey: Who wants to go to Chicken Drive?
Miss Julie: Me, yes!
Miss Lacey: Sweet. We're leaving in five.

Lately, there's a new one creeping in. "The mines". Instead of saying something is "mine", I hear "the mines". Like, plural. Don't know where it came from.

Today Oscar was taking the tally for a class vote. They voted, he wrote the tallies on the whiteboard. We were voting on what their reward would be for reaching their class goal. We like to take secret-close-your-eyes-vote, but it's really everybody-always-cheats-and-looks-anyway-vote.

The results were (while pretending to cover their eyes):
1. Free time in the classroom-4 votes
2. Free time outside-11 votes
3. Free computer time-2 votes

After the voting, Oscar realized that he forgot to count his vote. He screams, "Oh man! I forgot the mines!" He proceeds to cover his eyes with his free hand (while everyone is watching him) and without looking, makes one more tally for free time outside. A couple of the kids were like, why is he covering his eyes? And I laughed. He wants to be official, duh.