There's a difference between bad and mischievous...bad - adjective - not good in any manner or degree; having a wicked or evil character; morally reprehensible; defective; deficient.
mischievous - adjective - playfully annoying; roguishly or slyly teasing.
When I was growing up, the bad kids would fight at lunch. Usually over a prolonged stare. Or someone's mama being accused of doing something lascivious. The mischievous kids would fill book bags with whipped cream as unaware onlookers watched the brawl.
I was never a bad kid. Just overly mischievous. Once in middle school I unlaced my shoestrings in Science class and worked them (ever so slyly) through the belt loops of the kid in front of me. Circled around the metal back of the chair, I closed it with a knot. When the bell rang, the student (he was one of the bad kids) tried to bolt for the door. But alas, he was hindered.
For a second, a smirk flashed across Mrs. Cathey's face. A smirk that said...
"you had that coming you disrespectful little prick."
I thought we left all of that behind when we moved to Asia.
Asian people are smart. Doctors. Scientists. Scholars. All of them. Asian students are attentive. They study (a lot). They pay attention in class. They memorize and recite biology textbooks. For fun.
They're Asian, it's just what they do.
...or so I thought.
People are people. Children are children. Anywhere in the world.
When I was my student's age, the boys in my class would gather around the urinal, waiting to see what color Chris Brewington's pee was going to be that day. He was taking medicine that changed the hue with each dose. Last week I walked into the bathroom to find several 2nd graders giggling. One boy had his pants down, facing the toilet. The others were watching intently. I didn't investigate further...just let them have their fun.
People are people. Children are children. Anywhere in the world.
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