German Class lately

This year I'm teaching German III for the first time in several years.  I've been slowly building my German program for ...ahem....seven years now, but the humanities based curriculum at my high school does not allow for many upper division language credits (ironic I know.)  I really enjoy the challenge of teaching German III.  I have six students in my class.  We are doing some grammar this first semester but soon I hope to start reading any of the following German Novels:

Emil und die Detektive
or 
Das doppelte Lottchen both by Erich Kästner


Teaching German III is a challenge.  My students are sharp.  I'm fairly certain a few of them are much smarter than I am. I can't make up words on the spot...they remember every single word I tell them.  In my defense I'm almost certain that the word for impale is aufspeisen or something like unto it.  Who knows that kind of vocab?

This is what happens when I'm still talking to another teacher in the hall when German III class is supposed to start.   They all just stood in the door way with their backs to me until I apologized for being late (2 min!) to class.  Look at 'em all clamoring to conjugate verbs.  I do realize this is not normal.  I'm just very lucky to have such teenagers!

Here are a few funny stories from this year and last year.

"Damit"
I'd taught the word damit meaning 'their with' but used much in the same way we use 'with it' in English.  It sounds a lot like damn it.  Which is always very exciting for the students as is ass: the past tense of ate, dick: fat and hell: light.

I'd handed out quizzes and was eager to have them returned and move on to some other task.  I asked "Seid Ihr fertig damit?" "Are you finished with it -the quizzes?" one too many times.  One of my quietest most humble students piped up and said "NO DAMIT!"  The entire class erupted in laughter.  I sent her to the office...just kidding.

"My student named Porker"
I had a student in my German II class named Parker and another in the same class named Porter.  Both were males, about 6'1 and a little quiet.  If you say Porter, Parker,Porter, Parker, Porter, Parker about five times fast you will get Porker.  sigh.  Neither of them thought it was very funny, but try as I might I asked "Porker" to volunteer several times over the course of last year.  Eventually my students made me this sign.

Porter is on the left.
Parker is on the right.
Their is no Porker. 

And in case you forgot about the duct tape incidents of years past.

  For my own German studies I've been enjoying the Tintenherz (Inkheart) trilogy which I listen to on my commute to work every morning.  It is young adult fiction and right about my comfort zone.