"Can I Have the Rubber, Please? Can I Have the Rubber, Please?"

One of the joys of teaching English in Spain is the kids learn British English. I don't know anything about British English. Kind of like I don't know anything about Castellano...I'm only familiar with a little something we in the Western Hemisphere like to call Spanish (or español). Be warned - in Spain, they don't speak Spanish, they speak Castellano. Therein lies the root of one of the many problems I have when it comes to learning Spanish a la los Españoles...I've been learning 'Mexican' style or maybe 'New Mexican' style Spanish the whole time. Damn.

As I may have mentioned previously, I spend Tuesday through Friday singing songs with first graders. One of the songs is titled "Can I have the rubber, please?" obviously referring to an eraser. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a good laugh every time I have to sing the song since a rubber in American English refers to something quite inappropriate for 6-year-olds. This little ditty about 'rubbers' in addition to constant farting, nose picking and the inability to sit still for more than 2 minutes, gives you a good idea of what a typical day is like for me. My 'work'days are highly entertaining to say the least.