Like Kelly, my ESOL students and I also (reluctantly) dyed eggs for Easter. I thought it would be an entertaining seasonal activity, but the students weren’t very responsive. My own perceptions of egg-dying hinge on childhood nostalgia. I think back to the delicate pastel and vibrant jewel-toned eggs produced in our kitchen, which was full of family and chocolate at Easter. How could this not be fun?!
One of my students was particularly resistant. She made disgusted faces and kept her arms crossed against her chest, body language that spoke loudly. In striving, broken English she told me that she would be willing to complete the activity with gloves. So I innovated with some plastic baggies found in our kitchen.
The students were trying to be polite. Then I had a light bulb moment. Most of my students are Hindu, which means that many of them are vegetarian or vegan. The eggs are tantamount to meat to some of them. Their reticence began to make sense.
We moved on to the next part of our cultural lesson, an egg hunt. The students seriously loved this activity. I guess for them, eggs are best when hidden out of sight.
– M.D.
