Sometimes my attempts to be funny are overshadowed by the student’s response. The often ask: Ms. Yuill, are you married? I usually respond: No – why do you know someone for me? And one day, a grade 1 girl said, “Yes! My dad! My mom and dad just got divorced.” I thought I’d check him out when he picked her up from school one day – it never hurts – only to find out he wasn’t allowed to pick her up or have contact with her…

Another time a grade 3 student asked me why I wasn’t married – because I was so pretty. I asked if all pretty teachers were married and she said, “No …”. So I asked if all pretty teachers my age were married and she replied in a relieved voice, “Yes!”

A friend of mine was getting married and her grade 5 student asked her 3 times over the course of a few weeks if she was married yet. When she replied, “Not yet”, the student asked, “How long does it take to be married?” in an exasperated voice.