"Don't be a parasite to your classmates."

I would utter the above sentence each time my students borrow stuff like foolscap paper, pens, correction tape and the likes from their classmates.

Whenever it is composition week, the kids who borrow foolscap paper are the same.

The kids who lend/give their foolscap paper would be the same too.

So you can see it's pretty unfair to those who always bring their stuff to class.

I would tell my kids to draw a picture of a parasite at the top right hand corner of the foolscap paper whenever they borrow/take a piece from their friends. Those kids who have been with me long enough would know what a parasite is and would automatically draw mushrooms, toadstools, bedbugs, leeches etc.



I'm beginning to suspect they relish the idea of drawing parasites on their paper.

Today I had a new boy in my P5 class. He is cute; good-looking for his age. He looks really prim and proper, definitely an agreeable young man with proper upbringing. He wasn't shy for a new boy and participated well in class. I had very favourable impression of him and more so after I found out that he's from a prestigious primary school that begins with "R".

When it came to compo writing, he informed me that he didn't have foolscap pad with him. Of course, I forgave him as he's new and told him to borrow from a classmate. The kid next to him immediately drew out his foolscap pad with great enthusiasm and went in his usual pixie voice,

"Nah lend you but you have to draw a parasite at the corner."

-_-|||

It was hilarious to see the baffled look on my prim and proper new boy but very soon he took delight in drawing a parasite.