Just nod and smile

"Teacher, Teacher can you speak Chinese?"  I hear this question quite often from the first graders that I teach.  (Well what they really say is: 老师，老师你会说中文吗?)  My usual response is just to look at them and smile.  It really keeps them guessing.  The school I teach at does not want me speaking Chinese at all so I only speak to the kids in English.  I have an aide who gives instructions or explains things when needed.  So the children are a bit confused about me.  Some know I can understand some chinese and others think I know nothing.  We did a short quiz the other day and I had all the children who got 100 percent raise their hand so I could give them a sticker. As I walked down the aisles checking papers one little mischevious boy raised his hand.   I started to look at his paper when two other kids said in Chinese that he had cheated by using his eraser.  He looked at the kids with a smirk and said "She doesn't understand" (她听不懂）I replied in English "You used your eraser so you don't get a sticker".  He looked stunned and I had to stifle a smile.  The problem with letting the kids know I understand some Chinese is that then they think I can really understand.  Next they want to tell me all kinds of things and I only get about half of what they are saying.  So I go back to the nod and smile, with an occasional "Now, tell me that in English."