Teaching the Children How to Fish

Teacher: Beginning today, I will no longer accept late work that is not related to an excused absence. If you’re old enough to have a driver’s license, then you’re also old enough to read the assignment calendar, complete the assignments, and hand them in by the due date. No more late work; no more make-up work unless your absence is excused by ed code.

It is NOT excused to be sent to ISS because you are tardy, or if you are truant and don’t show up at all, or if your parents don’t call in and excuse the absence.

If you miss a quiz or a test and your absence is excused, you make it up before or after school, or during lunch—and make an appointment first: don’t just show up and expect me to be waiting for your arrival.

Finally, on the assignment calendar are assignments marked “Q” in a large font and bolded so they stand out. Those are the assignments we will discuss during class; however, if you are absent, you must do those “Q” assignments in writing and hand them in for credit to show that you undertand the poetry and the skills associated with the poem.

The homework assignments are coded with “R&A,” which stands for “Review and Assess,” or “ILS,” which means “Integrate Language Skills.” These assignments must be completed as homework and brought to class and handed in so they can be graded.

Okay, are there any questions?

The students respond:

*What if we’re absent? You aren’t going to take our work? That is so not fair!

*It’s not fair to make some people do more work than others! It’s not my fault if I’m not here, so why should I have to do the “Q” assignment if nobody else has to do it?

*What do you mean by “excused” absence? What if I’m tardy and security makes me go to ISS?

*Why can’t I make up the quiz during class? I shouldn’t have to do work for your class during my lunch period. I spend that time with my friends.

*What if my parents can’t get me to school on time? I’m punished because I have to wait for my mother to drive me to school? She’s always late!

*I don’t get it: which of the assignments do we have to do? Just the “Q” assignments, right? So we don’t have to do the other assignments, right?

*Wait, I’m confused: do we do the “Q” assignments or the R&A or the ILS assignments? Why can’t you just tell us what we’re supposed to do? Why do you have to make everything so hard?

Teacher: Tomorrow, we’re going to discuss the poetry anthology, a collection of 6 poems for the CP student, 2 of which may be the student’s own poetry (shudder). We’ll be going to the library so you can look for poems in the poetry section, but you are welcome to go to the library on your own time if you want to finish the project early. Please check page 947 in your lit book for more details and we'll talk about the anthology tomorrow.

Student: No way am I writing a poem!!!!!