Rev.Sr.Marian's Humour

We were returning from the school building after the children went to their respective classrooms, when we happened upon the head-mistress Sr.Marian. We struck a note with her concerning education for the boys, which the school had upto the 1st Standard. While we discussed about interviews for the little children held by the educational institutions, Sr.Marian gave us a very humorous and rare insight from her vast experience of 30yrs.

Why Interviews for the little ones?
Parent: Sister, when our boys go for admission we are quite scared about the interviews they hold.
Sr.Marian : You don't understand. It is only to test their eyesight.

At this we parents laughed so much as we were taken by surprise that it is not to test the skills of the little ones, but to really see if they can see, hear and have a concept about things in general.

Sister narrated how parents teach the children only to speak in english. For example, father tells the child, "What is your name?'. He teachers the child to respond in english as well, "My name is so-and-so".
Then the parents equips the children with questions and answers which are typically, "what is your father's name? what is your mother's name?'. However, Sister Marian in her interviews conducts the interview in the native language of the child. During one such session this was her experience:

Sister : enna ma break-fast sapta (what did you have for break-fast?)
child : idly
Sister : etthana idly sappta (how many idlies did you eat?)
child : irandu (two)
Sister : enna tottutu sappta (what was the side dish?)
child : chiini (sugar)
the interview ended and Sister was very happy to have met this child. as the child left the room with her parents she over heard the child say, "appa, sisterrrr tappu tappa kaelvi kaettanga (daddy, sister asked questions wrongly).
Sister Marian could not help smiling away, nor did we when we heard this.