Shanghai school gives students a dirty joke for English homework

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An expensive private school in Shanghai has found itself in trouble with the relevant authorities yet again after giving students a dirty joke as a homework assignment.

Over their winter break, 8th-graders at the SMIC Private School were told to give their thoughts on a story called “Mommy’s Washcloth.” Here’s how that story goes:

There was a little boy whose mother was about to have a baby. One day the little boy walked in and saw his mother naked, he asked his mother what was the hair in between her legs? She responded, “It’s my washcloth.” Weeks later after the mother had the baby, the young boy walked in on his mother again, but while she was in the hospital the doctor shaved her pubic hair, and the boy asked his mother: “What happened to your washcloth?” The mother responded, “I lost it.”

The little boy, trying to be helpful, set out to find his mother’s washcloth. A few days later the little boy went running to his mother yelling and screaming, “I found your washcloth!” The mother thinking that the child was just playing went along with the boy and asked, “Where did you find it?” The boy answered, “The maid has it and she’s washing daddy’s face with it.”

After being read by one bewildered parent and uploaded online, the story quickly went viral across Chinese social media, attracting the attention of the Shanghai education bureau.

The bureau soon ordered SMIC to recall the homework and severely punish those responsible. It was later discovered that the story was part of a supplemental textbook published last year by the Atomic Energy Press which aimed to make English learning “fun” and “active” for kids.

SMIC soon released a statement, apologizing for failing to properly check the contents of the textbook while announcing that the books had been recalled and two of its staff members punished with serious warnings and demerits. The school also declared that it would pursue legal action against the publisher.

Last October, SMIC found itself engulfed in another scandal after parents discovered moldy tomatoes and expired seasonings inside the school’s cafeteria, leading to the principal getting sacked.

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