Thursday, November 17, 2005

Why Earnest Teachers Weep on the Job

Yesterday I found myself proctoring a high school chemistry test. A couple of the students begged off, explaining that they had missed so much class their teacher had told them to take the test at a later date. All right, I said, you write your teacher a note, and I'll sign it and leave it for her. The two were happy enough to do this. Here is the note that, between the two of them, they produced:
Jenny Kalley and Ben Fleet* are not taking the chemistry test because we was not here to understand.

Upon receiving this note of absolution, I added my own endorsement in a state of amused disbelief. Was it genuine, or a clever forgery? A witty double entendre? Ebonics meets Chem Lab?

Some questions are better left unasked.

* Yes, of course, the names have been changed to protect the ignora-, uh, innocent.

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1 comment:

  1. Anonymous8:22 PM

    American edumacation at work.

    I are happy speak good grammar do I.

    ReplyDelete

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