Crazy teacher!

OK, not Little Miss’ teacher. Or teachers in general, I don’t want to get jumped. But some teachers need to get a grip. My niece, Bug, is in the 11th grade and her teacher  has gave them a research paper to do. This research paper will be 2/3 of her 3rd 9 weeks grade and 3/4 of her 4th 9 weeks grade. It counts for 700 points and they will be graded on each step (bib cards (6-8 handed in and no less than 4 more added before the paper is turned in, numbered and in some certain way, by some $20. book they were required to buy), rough outline ( no less than 3 roman numerals and 3 sub topics), final outline, rough draft, final draft, etc.) along the way. They will be given a day a week to work on it in class and the rest will be done at home. A little early, I think, you usually get the BIG research paper in your Senior year, but whatever. She handed out a details sheet on a Friday at the end of class and said she would answer any questions in class, then she was out of school the next week. So come the following Monday, she was bombarded with questions from every student. No one knew what they were suppose to do. I wish I had the actual letter, I am not an idiot but it was really confusing. She assigned each student with an author, they were to find 4 short stories or poems by the author, then write a short summery of 2 of them. From those 2 summaries she would assign each student 1 of them to do their research paper on. Of course, she wasn’t there and the sub told them to pick 4 poems or stories by the author and write a summery on 2 of them. Most students picked poems, not knowing that they would have to write a research paper on them. I, like the students, thought the research paper would be on the author, this was just a way to get you familiar with the author’s work. Boy were we wrong!

In her little letter she states there is no excuse for not completing your work and handing it in on time. There will be no extensions for any reason. If you are sick, you will make arrangements to have your work brought to the teacher by 3:00 the day it is due or it will not be graded. A death in the family, illness either yours or a family members, accidents either in a car or at home, or hospitalization, yours or a family member, will not be accepted. I asked my niece if she died would we have to make arrangements to get her work to the teacher. She assumed we would, lest she fail the course because of death.

Bug was given O Henry’ s Witches Loaves. She rounded up 2 books, I found an Internet source and she was going to the library to get information from reference books. She had to have 6-8 bib cards turned in by Feb. 1. I worked on it Monday afternoon, writing down anything, from the 2 books she brought me, that might be helpful. No one was having any luck getting info on the poems or stories they had so she backed down and said you could include info on the author, but the poem or story had to be mentioned. That helped. Well, unbeknowest to me, the teacher realized 4 students had O Henry and she only wanted 2 students per author. I don’t know how she missed this, she assigns the authors to the students, her screw up, right? She assigns Bug with a different author Joe Gofuckyourself or somebody. I had never heard of him, Bug had never heard of him, and the Liberian had to look him up. Bug couldn’t find anything on him or his story. Big time author, I guess. Bug told the teacher on Tuesday, she couldn’t find anything on him. The teacher insisted she was lying! Then the teacher went to the library, I can only guess to show Bug that you could find a lot on this man. She couldn’t find one damn sentence on him. So she assigns her another author. This is the 29th. Her bib cards are still due on the 1st. Her teacher’s screw up is no excuse for turning in her work late.

I don’t even know who the new author is. Her mom, my SIL, was afraid to ask her. She has been a bit ill lately. She has her ACT test the 9th of Feb, after school work and this research paper and the stress is getting to her. I told SIL that I would help Bug all I could, I just didn’t know how much help I would be since some of the work must be done in class and it has to be in her handwriting. Anything typed will not be graded. So, I can’t just do it for her.

Bug is suppose to come this weekend for me to help her with her paper and her ACT. She registered and paid for online study test and has been unable to get the test online. Of course they couldn’t figure out how to get her registered either and I had no problem. It took almost an hour to get through all of the questions but I was able to do it. SIL gets frustrated easily and doesn’t have the patients to try and figuere things out on the computer.

I don’t care to help but every time they have something come up, they call me. And most of the time it is due NOW. If anything goes wrong, they run to me. I am a doctor, vet, accountant, computer tech, psychologist, florist, baker, cook, gardener, I am a Jack of all trades apparently. Cat gets sick, call me. BIL needs stitches taken out, call me. Need your taxes figured, call me. Computer goes down, call me. Having a nervous breakdown, call me. Need a flower arrangement for a reception table, call me. Need a cake made, call me. Need Baked Beans for a rehearsal dinner, call me. Flowers and trees dying in the flower garden, call me. They will tell you I am the smartest person they know. Bless their hearts, they only know idiots then! I dropped out of school in the 9th/10th grade. (I missed too many days to go into the 10th grade, but I had passed all the 9th grade courses and was taking 10th grade classes, so I really don’t know what year I quit in.) I regret time to time that I didn’t continue on and go onto college, but I had a baby at home and I wanted to raise him, then I got married at 17, and I didn’t have any interest in school. I have graduated a couple of times considering I did most of my SIL’s school work for her and I helped both the boys through school. More the second one than the first one. I home schooled the second boy. And I have done a good chunk of my nieces work up to this point. I am sure I could pass the GED but at 38, I really wonder why do it.  I know, I know so that I can say I did it. Well, I guess I will go and try to get the kitchen cleaned and lay down for a few minutes before My MIL realizes I am doing it and comes over to ruin my afternoon nap. As Always…..

HAVE A GREAT DAY AND THANKS FOR VISITING!!!