Please Don't Hit Us

And speaking of domestic abuse! Today in one of my elementary school classes, my students had to get into groups and brainstorm things that they liked and did not like about their parents. Then they had to think of what kind of parents they wanted to be, and finally, they had to write a song about parenting.

A group of five elementary school girls produced this gem. It's called, "Please Don't Hit Us."

PLEASE DON'T HIT US

Listen to my opinion
Listen to my opinion
We hope that you don't hit us.
(Because we can get hurt
Because we can get hurt)

And we can get many stress
We always try hard for
Be a good daughter to you.

Heartbreaking, isn't it? In a funny, ESL-kind-of-way. The boys, on the other hand, did not focus on the same emotionally intense issues as the girls. Instead, they wrote about a much more straightforward concept, one that is near and dear to the hearts of children from developed countries all over the world. And in the true spirit of rock and roll, it's called, "Give Me."

GIVE ME

Give me money
Give me money
Give me money

And we want.

Give me free
Give me free
Give me free

Now we have.

Everything
Everything
Everything

And we have
All the thing.


UPDATE:

So I gave the same exercise to a different class today and got surprisingly similar results. A group of boys wrote from the standpoint of a consumer in an acquisitional materialist culture, while the girls' song reflected their desire to escape from the critical judgements of their elders. Amazingly, the boys even chose the exact same title for their song.

WHEN I GROW UP

When I grow up,
I want to be a nice parent.
I don't say so many scolding,
Because...

The scolding makes them
A sense of inferiority,
The scolding makes
Children have a bad mind.


GIVE ME

Give them
Give them
Give them
A free time.

Give them
Give them
Give them
Many money.

Don't give them
Don't give them
Don't give them
A study time.

Don't give them
Don't give them
Don't give them
Many books.