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Today was another 8th grade day. (The sub caller was happy that I was available to work. As it was, there were still several teachers sub-less.) The teacher left all of her classes review work. They have a final next week. This was their time to start getting ready for it.
I spent most of the day walking the room and staring significantly at those students not doing the assignment. I made the usual comments. They made the usual excuses.
5th period. One girl had put her math packet away. She had nothing on her desk. I asked if she was finished. She admitted that she wasn't. So, I reminded her that whatever didn't get done in class was going to be homework.
"But I like homework."
I stood there, trying to think up a different comeback. I heard this same sentiment several times today, and I was bored of the usual, "Yeah, sure, right," as I shake my head in disbelief. But I didn't get a chance to say anything, for the girl then continued.
"If I have homework, I won't have to go to church on Sunday, and I can sleep in."
This required a bit more explanation. I wondered how having homework allowed her to sleep in. If she had to stay home to do the homework, then shouldn't she be awake so that she could do it?
The girl explained that if she had homework, she could tell her mother not to wake her on Sunday, so then she could sleep in.
Did you get that? I'm still fuzzy on those details.
I reasoned that she could always lie about having homework. The math packet had pages of work, and she could claim that the next page was due. But the point of all this was for her not to have to work in class, so of course this was not an option.
If I got a dollar every time a student says, "But I want homework"...
Friday, June 3, 2011
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She's saying that her family goes to church early on Sunday to worship whatever deity happens to be used in her family. If she has an excuse, i.e., "I have homework that must be done," it means that she can avoid having to shower and dress for the weekly offering to the gods. The only thing that blows my mind regarding this behavior is, if you do not believe in the god or gods that you worship, why make it a farce to begin with and just declare "The only faith that I need is that the sun will rise each morning, that molecules when they are excited make my coffee warm, and that the world is in fact billions of years old."
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