“we za pepuru foa za pepuru.”

Yesterday I taught English at Hirao Elementary School and for the third grade class we studied how to say the 12 Zodiac animals of the Chinese calendar in English. First, we read a story about the order of the animals and how they came to be. Next, we reviewed the twelve English words and lastly we played a game to make sure the students had memorized the new vocabulary. With the exception of a few overly obnoxious boys everything went smoothly as the kids were able to enjoy themselves while also learning a bit of English at the same time.

Even though our lesson finished about 5 minutes early I always make sure to bring with me enough classroom materials to make sure that I never run out of stuff to do with the kids. Another reason I bring an abundance of materials is because sometimes the lessons rock and other times they flop. It’s astounding to me how each school responds differently to the exact same materials. For example, I often play the Animal Gesture Game with first grade students. The game is easy – I say the name and color of an animal in English and the kids have to do their impression of that animal. (The kids love the kangaroo, koala, and the boys enjoy the snake.) This game is generally an instant success as the kids have fun rolling around on the floor like animals, but every once and a while the kids at some schools are too cool for the game. I’m sure that if they could speak English they would say something like, “Um, if you think I am going to get on my hands and knees and moo like a cow then you have to be out of your mind. . .”

Anyways, so we finished about 5 minutes early and as I began to pull something out of my bag to occupy the kids for the last few minutes of class their teacher says, “Spencer, can you tell the students about the 12 zodiac animals in America?” I think she’s joking so I laugh but because she doesn’t laugh with me and she has that “I’m waiting for a response” look on her face I quickly realize that she isn’t kidding.

After I explain that in America we don’t have our own animals of the Zodiac she asks me if I could then tell the students about a traditional American story. At a loss of what it was she wanted me to tell the kids I pause to think. Within that moment of silence she chimes in and says, “Can you recite Rincon’s we za pepuru foa za pepuru?” She says it again, “we za pepuru foa za pepuru” and again “we za pepuru foa za pepuru.” By the third time she says it I realize that she is trying to say “we the people for the people” and she wants me to explain to these third grade students the Gettysburg Address in the last 3 minutes we have left in class. Biting my tongue, and trying my best to appease the lady I gave it a shot. Closing my eyes to visualize standing in the front of Mrs. Oliver’s 8th grade history class I began to recite the Gettysburg Address. I began to say, “For scores and seven years ago...” and that’s as far as I got.

Perhaps she was disappointed that I didn’t know more of the speech so she took over and began writing something I couldn’t read on the board. As she is writing she mumbles to herself “we za pepuru foa za pepuru.” I assume that she is writing the something along the lines of “we the people for the people” in Japanese. Then she looks at me and says, “Can you explain what this means to the students? By this point, and with 1 one minute left, I’m fed up so I just say, “No, I’m sorry I can’t, but I recite the Peter Piper tongue twister.” So for the last minute of class that’s exactly what I did.