On An Arctic Roll…

I struggled into school this morning feeling somewhat under par, and was grateful that my small groups were well behaved and working hard. But we did hit a little bit of a problem. We were doing a comprehension piece [or “Reading Test” as they call them now] It was about Whale Hunting. The boys could not understand how anybody could justify killing and eating whales.

I pointed out that for some people, whalemeat** has been a traditional part of their diet for centuries. “Like the Inuits” I said, aiming for Political Correctness.

Child 1 - What’s an Inuit?

Me – It’s the same as Eskimo. Do you know what an Eskimo is?

Child 2 – I know about them- they are miserable teenagers who wear black clothes

Me – I think you might be getting confused with EMOS

Child 1 – [genuinely confused] Aren’t they big weird birds, Miss?

Some definitions

Eskimos (or Esquimaux) or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia (Russia), across Alaska (United States), Canada, and Greenland (Denmark).

Emo - The stereotype for a kid(13-19) who has a lower tolerance for sad emotions, and feels inadequate of their own personal worth. Many emos feel so depressed that they resort to self harm. Emo boys often wear girls trousers and dye their hair black, with a pyramid spiked belt, and tight tee shirts(usually black). It is known that emos have a kind of rule that 40% of their face must be covered by hair, although it is actually a subconscious feeling of wanting to cover up their sad eyes.

Emu - The largest bird native to Australia. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its relative, the ostrich.

Postscript – I had almost finished typing this when Steph phoned. When I told her the story, she said I ought to have finished the conversation with “Are you sure you aren’t thinking of Elmo?”

** I love that whalemeat is an anagram of wheatmeal