Are you doing this on purpose?

I teach French 1. It is very fun to teach a class where the topic is completely new to them and the progress they make throughout the year is so apparent. But, man, sometimes it's all I can do not to hit them. Case in point, this Friday. I was giving a test. There was a listening activity with a picture of two students' desks. They had to listen to their friends ask for different school supplies and then respond yes or no according to whether or not the item was on that student's desk. The labeling of the desks was not very obvious so I pointed out which desk belonged to which student. Here is how the next few minutes went:





Student A: Wait, which desk is Christophe's?


Me: The one on the left.


30 seconds later:


Student B: Don't start yet! How do you know which desk is which?


Me: I just told you, Christophe's is on the left.


10 seconds later:


Student C: How are we supposed to know whose desk it is?


Me: Listen to me! And Annick's name is written on the notebook on her desk.


20 seconds later:


Student D: I don't know which desk is Christophe's and which is Annick's!


Me: LOOK AT YOUR PAPER!!!!! IT SAYS ANNICK RIGHT THERE!!!!! (bang the student's desk for effect and to avoid hitting the student)


2 seconds later (Seriously? Did you not hear the yelling and the banging?!?!?! And the ten explanations before that?????):


Student E: Excuse me, Mademoiselle H, I can't tell which desk is which.


Me: ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!