Unpredictable comic relief

I teach three writing classes this semester, which translates into the weekly task of reading and responding to 75 journal entries. This being my sixth year teaching in China, the journal entries have become quite predictable. Give me any question off of the journal question list, and with 96.43% accuracy I can tell you exactly how a student will respond. The good news is that I’ve also worked up a bank of responses and questions to each of those entries.

The one thing that breaks up the monotony of journal grading is the occasional slip or misuse of a word that, while entirely unintentional on the student’s part, provides momentary comic relief, followed by the stimulating task of trying to determine what word the student was intending to use. I now give you three examples. See if you can figure them out:

Journaling about responsibility:

“Second, we should try our best to protect our environment. We shouldn’t throw rabbits here and there.”

Journaling about aspirations:

“In 10 years, I want to be a maturate and acquainted woman and a blandness wife and mother.”

Journaling about purpose in life:

“I could be a bacon to make a lot of money to help some poor people.”