Teens Say the Darnedest Things...

September 19, 2011

Teaching in a high school occasionally provides me with some crazy comic relief.  The funniest moments aren't even cracked as a joke; they're just a statement during a discussion that hits exactly the right key.  Maybe you'll enjoy this like I did.

I was introducing surrealism and author Octavio Paz during one of my PreAP classes last week.  Paz had been exposed to surrealism in France about the time that Freud and his dream analysis theory were becoming popular in the mainstream, having an incredible effect on this style of writing. 

Well, I asked my sophomores, "Have any of you heard of Sigmund Freund?"  I wasn't really waiting for them to answer because the three previous classes had maybe one or two kids who even knew who I was talking about.  As I was launching into my explanation of who he was and why he mattered to the Surrealists, a girl piped up and said, "Oh, I have.  Mr. McGoo (our head drama teacher, not his real-life name) used to live down the street from them in Las Vegas." 

Do you know where this is going?  It only took me a second and her launching into, "one of them was attacked by a tiger..." before I burst into laughter (poor girl -- she had no idea and I'm a terrible adult and teacher for laughing like I did) and explained the difference between Sigmund Freud and Sigfried and Roy.  The rest of the class didn't actually get why this was so funny, but I really enjoyed it.

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1 comments

  1. I laughed out loud! Granted I have a psych degree, but SERIOUSLY?? I doubt I could have kept a straight face either.

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