Curious things students have said…and sometimes they are not curious but just racist. There is a three part one at the end for Japan.

Teacher, you are easy and everyone is hard.

Teacher, boyfriend? No. What about James teacher *laughs while thinking ‘We’re not Pandas at the zoo’ from Community*

Teacher! I am no see! (sounds like Nazi).

Teacher! You are bling-bling!

You have eyes like a alligator! What? So many greens

Student 1: Your eyes are beautiful!

Student 2: Game! Think about the Game!

My sister has….*points at eyes* Eyes? *keeps pointing at eye* not glasses! Contacts? Yes! But they make her eyes look like yours!

Me:what country is east of korea?

Students: DOKDO! (explanation below)

Me: not a country…but east was what I going for so good job!

I want to go to America to see freedom.

Students: We don’t have to do work anymore because North Korea is going to attack.

Me: You know that’s not true.

Students: Yeah…it was worth a try.

Teacher! She (other student) is hip-hop (they were wearing a shirt that said Ebony)

Teacher, this boy has a big nose (black kid in the book) but this girl has hair like rockstar (black girl in the same book who had braids)

Students had to fill in the blanks about a photo where 3 people were at a train/bus station. It said ‘they are all’ and most students wrote ‘talking’, ‘having a conversation’ or ‘friends’ but one write ‘in danger’. A+ for creativity.

For another they had to write advice for what to do if you have problems studying because you’re always texting: I think you should be born to a smart mother and a smart father because if you are not then you cannot be smart.

What follows is the story of one particular student, who is hilarious but concerning because of what he thinks about Japan even now. Mini history: Japan invaded Korea and made the women into ‘comfort women’, kills tons of people, made it impossible for Koreans to move around the country (especially move to America because the US said there were ‘too many Japanese’ and since Korea was under Japanese rule, they counted), made Koreans learn Japanese and killed anyone who spoke out. Japan did reelect the person who said that Koreans should have been proud to be comfort women….Dokdo is an island (really 2 islands with one name…well one name in Korean and one name in Japanese) that Korea says is theirs and Japan says is theirs. Currently under Korean law and even the pact America signed with Japan does not protect Dokdo as part of Japan.

Part 1:

Me: What do you want to be your hobby?

Student: To destroy Japan.

Me: Okay….how are you going to do that? [following the book like I did for the rest of the students]

Student: By going nuclear.

Part 2 (unrelated, but the same student):

Student: Teacher, I don’t like the French.

Me: Why not?

Student: Because they said Asians are yellow. They say we have yellow skin.

Part 3:

Student: I want to give Dokdo to Japan.

Me: Really? I thought you didn’t like the Japanese.

Student: Oh, no, I want them all to move there. Then Korea will take over Japan.

Me: …But Dokdo is very small, everyone from Japan will not be able to live there.

Student: I know. *stares at me and smiles*

Part 4:

Me: I’m going to your favorite place for Lunar New Year.

Student: Really?? Where??

Me: Japan!

Student: ….but I HATE Japan

Me: I know. I was joking.

Student: Teacher, it’s a trap, you won’t come back.