Classroom Humor: Bees and Beehives

Teachers ask lots of questions in the classroom. We are not necessarily the experts in phrasing our questions, though. We try to be, oh yes, we work on our questioning skills, trying to find the right question for each student so they will not only experience success in their response, but also access their higher thinking skills.

But sometimes, sometimes we ask a question that doesn't get the response we expected.

This morning, the reading topic was beekeeping and the 5th grade students were about to read a passage that explained how a beekeeper safely transfers bees to a new hive box.

The teacher stood at the front of the classroom describing the way a beekeeper dresses to protect himself from the stinging insects while I walked around holding a picture of the same for them to see.

Tapping into prior knowledge just before giving a student something to read is a key teaching strategy, especially if you want them to learn something from the reading experience. Finding out what they already know about a topic is a teacher's first plan of action. Giving them a purpose for reading is another practical strategy to improve their reading comprehension.

Today, that's exactly what the teacher did. Just before reading the passage, Mrs. B told the students about the boxes that beekeepers put their bees in. When she asked the class what the boxes were called, students replied "Beehives."

Then there followed an exchange between the students and said teacher about what went on in and around the hive. The best of my recollection it began something like this:

T:  "And what do the bees do in the hive?"

S:  "They make honey."

T:  "Do they only make honey in the hive boxes?"

Now this question was a curious question. I wondered what she was getting at as she paused for the answer. Mrs. B asked it again. Students pondered this. Then onestudent raised his hand and she called on him.

T:  "R... do they only make honey in the beehive boxes?"

R:  "No," he answered confidently, and with no hesitation he added... "they also make babies."

A momentary silence as anyone who was listening closely thought about the question and the response. Then a snicker, then the three teachers exchanging looks, a laugh. The teacher who had posed the question burst into laughter, followed by the entire class laughing. Knowing that this discussion was never intended to follow the path of sex education, even regarding bees, as it were, made the entire scene hilarious.

The boy who had given the answer wasn't quite sure what all the laughter was about. Hadn't he answered the question correctly?

Sensing the student's uncertainty, she explained in between controlling the laughter, which was aimed at herself.

T:  "Thank you, R. That was a good answer... that just reminds me that I need to phrase my question a little more accurately." Her eyes met mine.

It was all I could do not to continue laughing as I realized she had not meant to ask that question. Teachers know that if they don't ask the right question, they won't get the right answer. An added bonus is if you ask the wrong question, there's no telling what kind of responses you will get.

It happens from time to time. We call it comic relief.

T:  "You're right, though, they don't just make honey in the hives, they also make baby bees in there. But that's not what I'm getting at. What I should have asked was 'are those beehive boxes the only places that bees can make honey?' Do they make honey in other places beside beehive boxes?"

Another student raised her hand. "Yes, bees can make hives in trees."

T:  "Yes..." and then the teacher recounted a time her parents discovered a beehive beneath their home when replacing an air conditioning unit one summer. They had to call a beekeeper in toretrieve the bees and transfer them to a another more practical location. This easily led into the topic of their reading this morning.

The students then read the passage, completed the multiple choice questions, and checked their answers as the teacher went over each one, practicing test-taking strategies like  elimination of obviously incorrect responses and referring to the text for the answers.

After the reading lesson, and the students were dismissed to their next class, I met with her briefly. Again, we had a chuckle over her unintentional question and the ensuing response. She said she would never forget this one.

I can't compete with Dead Investigator Dave's office humor, or even Caregivingly Yours Patrick's sometimes funny, often poignant, but always informative stories about caring for his wife Patti (who has MS). Journalers find the humor in their daily lives, even when for awhile their lives may seem dark and they despair.  Still, they take the time to write about what moves them in their journals, the people, events, and moments that make us laugh, cry, or ponder.

I wrote about today's event because I don't want to forget the delightful moments that often present themselves throughout the course of a school day, totally unexpected at times. 

Today was a classic classroom treasure.