The Hero's Journey and Potty Training

Last week I started a unit on the hero's journey with my writing center class. I feel for the kids in it because they are all doubled-up on English this semester. We've written two essays, read Lord of the Flies, and three of my five students have HUGE projects due for senior English. So, I compromised with them and we're using two films to study the hero's journey: The Lion King and Avatar. Brilliant, I know :)

So, anyway, on Thursday of last week we started watching The Lion King. There is something intensely fun about watching such a childhood movie with high school students. It's just amazing when a senior girl and a senior boy can't stop saying, "I love this movie!" So do I. But, watching the movie is not the reason for this post. A story told to me by one of my senior boys is, and it goes something like this:

Student: I was potty trained with The Lion King.

Me: What?

Student: When I was little, my parents bought me Lion King undies and told me that Simba would bite something off if I peed in them.

Everyone in the room: **hysterical laughter**

Me: (after the laughing subsided) What would you have done if they had said Scar would bite something off?

Student: Oh. That would have been traumatizing!

Pretty much one of the best things I've heard as a teacher ... so I needed to share!