112- Social Security Number

I have been trying to teach my students about multiple meaning words, a concept that has been difficult for a few to wrap their little brains around. Take, for example, the word bat- one could use a bat to hit a baseball, one could bat an eyelash or bat a fly out of their face, or a black bat could fly overhead at night. Most of my students have easily grasped this idea, but a few are baffled that words can be spelled the same, yet have different meanings.
Today, during a read aloud, our story contained the following sentence:
The rays of the alien sun warmed the planet’s surface.
The story was about a couple of kids who steal a spaceship and end up on a planet in another solar system. When I read this particular sentence, a few of the kids started giggling.
“An alien sun? Did it try to eat people?” Ajith asked.
“Yeah! Yeah!” Kathleen got excited. “The sun is really a monster from outer space!”
Gaby rolled her eyes, “It’s not that kind of alien, gawd!”
“Thank you, Gaby.” I took the opportunity to explain to the kids that alien was another multiple meaning word; sometimes it meant a creature from outer space, but it could also mean strange, unfamiliar, foreign, or outsider.
“You mean, like, an illegal alien?” Taylor chimed in.
“Exactly.” I told Taylor, “An illegal alien is a person from one country who tries to live in another country without permission. In that case, the word alien is used to mean foreigner.”
“Oh…” The class sat hushed for a moment, rolling this new information around in their heads.
“You mean like Yocelin?” Josh asked.
“What?” That kid is always catching me off guard.
“Yocelin. And Linda.” Josh persisted, “Aren’t they both illegal aliens? Yocelin can’t even speak English!”
What a little bastard!
“No. Not like Yocelin and Linda. They are allowed to live in this country.” I smiled reassuringly at the little girls, who were seated next to one another on the Reading Rug. Yocelin looked confused and Linda appeared to be a bit embarrassed.
“But how do you know they’re not illegal?” Josh continued.
I had to give him credit, I didn’t know for sure.
“Yeah!” Robbie joined the debate. “I was watching this show on the Discovery Channel the other day and it said…” The boy stopped himself in mid sentence and turned towards Linda, “Hey, hey, Linda! Linda.” Robbie poked the girl repeatedly in her shoulder, “Do you even have a Social Security Number? Do you? Because—“
I cut Robbie off right there. “Linda, you do not have to answer that question.” I felt like the girl’s lawyer. “That is none of Robbie’s business. Or anyone else’s.”
Linda looked as confused as Yocelin. I doubt that she, or many of the other students, even knew what a Social Security Number was.
“Quit poking me in my shoulder. It kinda hurts.” Linda swatted Robbie’s finger away.
“Your illegal alien shoulder!” Josh hollered at Linda.
It was my turn to roll my eyes; I was beginning regret teaching them about the word alien.
“The show said that many people from Mexico that come to live in the United States do not have a Social Security Number.” Robbie continued his inquiry, “So, I am just wondering, does Linda actually have—“
“Enough!” I put an end to the conversation. I could tell that Robbie meant no harm and was genuinely curious, but Josh’s eyes were gleaming with malice. Both of the boys had made Linda feel uncomfortable. “Enough, guys.” I went back to reading the story, hoping that this would be enough to distract the boys from further interrogation. Luckily, my plan worked and within a couple of minutes all my students were mesmerized once again by the plot of the science fiction fantasy.