Mexico-No-No

(I’m a geography teacher and when we start a new unit my students have to color and label a map of the region we are learning about. The title of the map I gave them clearly reads “Central America and the Caribbean.”)

Student: “Why are we studying about all these Mexican countries?”

Me: “Well… Mexico is on there but it is only one country on the map.”

Student: “No, not Mexico. All these Mexican countries!”

Me: “You mean Central America?”

(He’s gotten some attention now and realizes he’s made a mistake but doesn’t get it still.)

Student: “All these Mexican… Hispanic countries.”