Clever as a Fish

Setting: First grade class
Characters: Collin, Clara, Cindy, Carol (who has been in Singapore for a month and is generally confused), and myself
Background: Working on vocabulary. Specifically, the word, “clever.”

Me: Who can make a sentence using the word ‘clever’?
Carol: Oh! I can!
Me: Alright, Carol. What is your sentence?
Carol: My mother says you are fish. She says we are fish. All of us fish.

Too distracted by Carol’s bizarre comment, I overlook the fact that she didn’t use the vocabulary word.

Me: Fish?
Carol: Yes. Mother say in English, we all fish.
Me: Fish? Like Nemo? Why would she call us fish?... Maybe because we are in a school together? HAHA!

The pun falls upon dead ears. Carol stares blankly. There is a thoughtful silence, as the other students cock their heads and ponder why Carol’s mother would call us fish.

Collin: Oooo! I know!! Because fish have eyes, we eyes! Fish have nose, we nose!
Clara: (incredulously with perplexed expression) No Collin! Fish don’t have noses!!

Everyone breaks into peals of laughter. Collin blushes a little and chuckles at himself good naturedly. The class is abuzz with new ideas relating people and fish.

Me: Is it because we like to swim? Because we have tails and fins?
Collin: HAHAHA! No! Because we eyes and fish eyes!
Carol: Maybe my mother is not so clever in English.

I could not have asked for a more appropriate usage of the word, “clever.”