John, can you (help) sweep the floor?

engineer, that's what both Glenn and I have been saying. We all know the difference between can and would. Sure it's correct either way.

But, if you want to ask someone to actually do something to help, we all know which word to use.

Of course venacular, and so forth. That's obvious.

Regarding the teacher and promoting "would" instead of "could", no idea where anyone would think him a dickhead.

He was doing what he's supposed to be doing. Teaching.

Boy, that teacher sure was a dickhead by trying to teach us proper grammar, in real time.

I remember this exact exchange.

Young Student: Can I go to the bathroom?
Teacher: I don't know. Can you?
Student after some confusion: Can I go to the bathroom?
Teacher: I don't know. Can you?
Student starting to cry: Can I go to the bathroom??
Teacher: I don't know. Can you?

Yep dickhead works for me. I remember that clearly after almost half a century.

I had similar things happen when I was in school.

I figured out pretty damn quick, like after the first "I don't know. Can you?" that the teacher expected me ask correctly.

It's not at all hard to realize he was asking the student to properly say "May I"

I mean, usually people ask permission to go to the rest room long before they're going to piss themselves.

Did this student (piss himself)? Or did he eventually pull his brain out of his butt and understand what was being asked of him?

Oh how cruel the teacher was!
We all watch movies/read books where the hero is asked to accomplish herculean tasks, at risk of life and limb, that make no sense.
Yet, IRL an instructor can't even instruct his students.

Did this teacher really need to spoon feed the student by saying "Now Johnny. The reason I keep saying that is I'm trying to teach you how to use proper grammar, so that you don't look like a complete idiot when you go out in the world."
Apparantly this is just too much to ask for.

Jesus. We expect our dogs to wait 5 or 10 minutes when they indicate they need to go out, if the person needs to go put on clothes, or knows the dog is just playing. We're not being dickheads. The dog doesn't get why we don't just immediately take him out. But he figures it out.
But we can't expect our children as students to figure out something as rudimentary "I don't know. Can you?"

Frankly, that kid sounds like an idiot.

Psssst. Chai. Don't you get it? Engineer is the kid who pissed himself. We should probably lighten up on him because he's still obviously traumatized by the incident, and it's left him fragile. Just follow my lead.

Ya know, if memory serves, I do recall that many years ago there was a rash of pants-pissing elementary students. Turns out it was due to an increase in the number of horribly vicious teachers subjecting their students to the infamous "can I go to the bathroom" torture routine. They eventually outlawed the practice, but it's no coincidence that every one of those students wet the bed to this day.

I'd better go find tanguatlay and make sure he's okay.

Well I for one ain't gonna make no more comments of them what can't talk good. They is just doin' the better they may.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

Hell, I doant taulk bad now, butt I sher used ta did. So I should understand.

Can I go now? I have to pee.

I just realized how pleasant it is not to have to listen to his incessant whining, since he announced he was going to collapse this thread.

It’s amusing watching him thumb everything down, and a relief he’s not actually trying to bully and push his way around.

My God. I feel I can actually hear myself think for a change without wondering what monkey feces is going to get flung at the wall.