Hey Kids! Leave the Teach alone!

So let’s get back to the singing.

Team Teaching

It was with Clara Grotte that I did team teaching in the First (or was it Second) Grade class in Primary. That was the eventual Class of ’92 with Aida, Tania, Joni, Sion, Perla, Tammy, Joe, Moises, Ela, Yael and all the other wonderfully cute kids… all dressed neat in their CCH uniforms and sitting properly at their desks. They were starting out very well, so that gave me hope. Our theme song was: “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”.

*It was Ela's birthday, so her brother joined her along with Aida Bibliowicz and Tania Gerstenbleuth.*

*Soon they grew up, but we made sure we sang "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" at their graduation rehearsal!*

Karen Sredni was the best singer I ever had in English class. Or at least the most creative. With the first word that came out of my mouth, after walking into class, she could spontaneously think of a song in English that started with that word, and then start singing it!

I don’t remember what I said, but soon she got everyone singing… “Find a girl. Settle down. And if you want, you can marry.” Something like that. Cat Stevens?

“We love you Danny Voll!” Karen would shout out, and leave me beet red!

I guess I was still a bit conservative from my North Dakota Lutheran upbringing. If you are German Lutheran from North Dakota, you don’t touch much. No kisses on the cheek, no hugs. Rather stiff and cold. So the good Lord sent me to Colombia, to loosen me up a bit. One day during a student assembly, I was given some kind of award for something, don’t remember what, and the young lady who gave me the award, also gave me a kiss on the cheek. Blushed again! Beet red I am sure.

*The famous foto from our front page, but here you can see the missing students. We all remember Sammy Mosseri.*

But again. Back to singing.

Hey Kids! Leave the Teach alone!

One day, the entire class managed to sing together. Maybe that was the class with Victor Leff. (Students, please correct my faulty memory). As soon as I walked into class, they started out with Pink Floyd from “Another Break in the Wall”:

”We don't need no education, We don't need no thought control,
No dark sarcasm in the classroom.
Teachers leave those kids alone.
Hey! Teachers! Leave those kids alone!”

OK. Fine, I told them. Just wait. Tomorrow will be my turn!

So that night I wrote my own version and was waiting for them the next day when they entered the classroom. Ready? I started to sing, to the same tune…:

“I can’t stand procrastination. I won’t take your foolin’ round.

“Come on kids get in the classroom. Get your books and settle down.

“Hey Kids! Leave the teach alone!”

After that, we were on good terms.