Phone Testing, Part Deux

Yes, one more month and one more round of phone testing. Yay!

Answers this time around weren't as great, but as usual, Ally was a gem. :-) If she doesn't listen in class, steals from other kids, is cheeky, or anything else, I love her for her phone testing conversations. Here's this month's installment:

Ben: Hi, Ally! It's Ben Teacher.

Ally: Hi, Ben Teacher.

Ben: How are you today, Ally?

Ally: I am fine thank you. (** This is a pre-programmed response that all students employ - they could be bleeding heavily from their chest and they would respond "I am fine thank you".)

Ben: Good! Are you ready for phone testing?

Ally: Yes.

Ben: Alright! Great! Question one: What letter does the word "Tiger" start with?

Ally: T!

Ben: Good job Ally! Ok, do you remember the story "I like"? What do you like?

Ally: ................(silence)

Ben: Ally? Hello, Ally?

Ally: ................(silence)

Ben: Alright, Ally - remember: "I like oranges...." "I like grapes...." What do YOU like?

Ally: Oranges!

Ben: Ok, good!

Ally: Ben Teacher, I'm watching TV!

Ben: That's nice, Ally! Ok, do you remember the story "Hello"? What are some animals from "Hello"?

Ally: Oranges!

Ben: No, oranges aren't animals, Ally... Remember "Hello Lion"... "Hello Zebra"...

Ally: ..............(silence)

Ben: "Hello Hippo".... "Hello__________"...

Ally: ................(silence)

Ben: Ally? Remember "Hello Tiger".... "Hello ...."

Ally: ...................(silence)

Ben: (At this point, I realize I'm talking to myself - which to me, is rather amusing, because I'm reciting kindergarten books to myself)

Ally: *click*

Ben: Hello? Hello?

Ally has hung up the phone. I think I lost her to the TV... so I call back.

Ben: Hello, Ally?

Ally: *giggle*

Ben: Ok, Ally. Let's move on. Next question: Is Ben teacher funny?

Ally: Yeeessss.

Ben: Ok, good! Do you like to play in the gym?

Ally: Yessssss.

Ben: Who do you like to play with?

Ally: Yesssssss.

Ben: Who? Who do you like to play with?

Ally: Michelle.

Ben: Good. Ok, one last question, Ally! What is one S-word?

Ally: Goodbye Ben teacher!

Ben: Wait, no, Ally......*click*

I think Ally's catching on that she doesn't REALLY need to try. :-) I have another student named John who speaks fairly fluently in class and understands well, but when I talk to him on the phone, all he ever says is "huh?" Literally, I slow down to a crawl, enunciate, use simple words, and truncate my sentences to simple noun-verb pairs, and all he still says is "huh?". I think he's catching on too. I think it's a game for him. :-)

The only other interesting question responses came from the question "If you met an alien, what would you do?" Here's what they responded:

Jeff:"I'd kill him!"

Jessie:"I'd kill him and take his pet!"

Billy:"I'd talk to him"
Ben: "What would you say to him?"
Billy: "onweiunceikrjnfiuwhty!"

Well, that's about it for this round of phone testing... I can't wait for next month. I think I'm going to start tailoring my testing questions to maximize the humourous responses. I used to dread phone testing - now I love it.