• Cliff's Notes
  • How do I work out a problem with a teacher who loses the assignments I turn in and then accuses me of not doing the homework?
  • How can banks afford to lend out so much money?
  • What should I consider when deciding whether to invest in a company?
  • Who was the first female Senator in the United States?
  • What are the best courses to take if I want to end up doing research in metaphysics?
  • A friend of mine told me that my favorite TV show jumped the shark." What does that even mean?"
  • There is a new guy at my school and I think he's cute, funny, and sweet, but he's really shy. I want to ask him on a date, but I'm not sure if I should, and if I should, how?
  • How do you know a guy likes you?
  • How much outside class study time is recommended for every hour of class time for college freshmen?
  • Is it common for people to be scared to go into high school? Can you give me some tips to survive?
  • What is the easiest foreign language to learn? Which foreign language looks the best on college applications?
  • How do I get involved in classroom discussions without sounding stupid?
  • What is organizational design?
  • Will mentioning my race in my college essay increase my chances of getting in?
  • Is my summer vacation to Italy a good topic for my college essay? (I have pictures, too.)
  • How do I pull together all the notes I've taken to study for a test?
  • To study better, I want to get organized with some of the stuff I see advertised. What should be on my shopping list?
  • What does it mean to live in a credential society?
  • What kind of careers are available for someone with a degree in English?
  • What can I do if I think my teacher gave me the wrong grade?
  • How do I choose a college major?
  • I have too many projects and not enough hours in the day. Is 8 hours of sleep really that important?
  • How do I choose a topic for a personal essay?
  • What tips can you give me for studying for a test on something I've read?
  • How do I write a good research paper?
  • How can I highlight my textbooks efficiently?
  • How do I convince my parents to spend a few extra bucks to upgrade from a dial-up connection to broadband like a cable modem or DSL? They say I have to give some benefits for spending extra.
  • What do you do when you're lost; when you can't concentrate and have lost your will to succeed? How can you get back on track?
  • Is homework important?
  • What is your opinion of the rise of virtual actors and the fall of live ones, what do you think about virtual actors taking the place of live ones?
  • My mom and my friends say I should quit doing something [swimming, tennis, violin, honors classes], but I love all the things I do. What can I do?
  • I started my first job a couple weeks ago (just for the summer). Do you have any tips for getting along with everybody at work?
  • Is it still important for people who develop Web pages to know HTML? If so, why?
  • When I am making a speech or a presentation in front of the class, my face or body automatically shivers. My voice gets weird also. How can I stop it?
  • I want to finish high school in 3 years instead of 4, but I am not sure it is a good idea. What do you think?
  • What are some occupations involving astronomy?
  • If I'm going to college for a degree in art, are all of my other classes even worth taking?
  • Are your freshmen grades important to get into college?
  • Is Johns Hopkins University a medical school? How long do I have to spend in a medical school to become a doctor?
  • For Milton Friedman, what are the social responsibilities of business?
  • What is The Fed and is it good or bad?
  • What is a Ponzi scheme?
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of Gross Domestic Product?
  • What is full employment and why is it difficult to measure?
  • What's a recession?
  • What is economics?
  • My parents and I are looking to buy a car for me I am 17 and I will be added to my parents insurance What cars have the lowest insurance rates but are still cool to drive
  • What is marketing?
  • Can you explain to me the impact money will have on the future (or my future. I am 16 years old)?
  • Are there any Spanish words bearing even a minute similarity to the name Peter? Not a name, but any word that is in any way similar to Peter.
  • Who led American efforts in Paris to gain French support during the American Revolution?
  • I need help locating a Web site that has pronunciation of the Spanish alphabet. For example, in English we sing", A, B, C, D, E, F, G . . .etc. Where can I find the Spanish alphabet?"
  • I know that there is no elision with French possessive adjectives. So what's the deal with: Qui est ton artiste favorite ?
  • I’m taking Spanish and need some good ways to study for tests. Do you have any tips?
  • In Spanish how do I know when to use de, del, a and al?
  • I'm going to be starting a new foreign language, and I'm not sure which language to take: French or Spanish. I know some French, but only greetings. Which do you think?
  • What is the term for when the Congressional majority represents the opposite party of the President?
  • Where in the U.S. Constitution are health and property mentioned?
  • To what extent did the Cold War shape the American domestic life of the 1950s?
  • The 10th Amendment does what?
  • How did the United States respond to Communist revolutions in Cuba and Nicaragua?
  • Which U.S. presidents also served in the House of Representatives?
  • What does the FCC regulate?
  • Who were the major political players during the Reagan Administration? Who helped shape President Reagan's legacy?
  • Who was the first Secretary of State for the United States?
  • Do prisoners deserve to be educated?
  • The death penalty has always interested me. What are the different ways you can execute someone without it being cruel or unusual?
  • Who were the major congressional participants in developing Social Security legislation?
  • With so many delegates speaking so many different languages, how does the United Nations get anything done?
  • I love watching TV court shows, and would enjoy them more if I understood some of the legal jargon, like ex post facto. What does that mean?
  • What is habeas corpus, and where is it guaranteed by law?
  • Where is the establishment of religion clause in the U.S. Constitution?
  • What's the point of making texting while driving illegal?
  • Have social conservatives captured the Republican Party?
  • Why are Republicans (or those who favor capitalism) called the right" or "right-wing" and Democrats (or those who favor social issues) called the "left?""
  • Who were the War Hawks?
  • What are the differences in the ways the House and the Senate conduct debates on a bill?
  • What is WikiLeaks?
  • How long do oral arguments last in Supreme Court cases?
  • What do you think are some reasons why the President was given almost unlimited military powers? What are some possible positive and negative effects resulting from the scope of the President's military power?
  • Why is the United States government so worried about North Korea?
  • Did Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation actually free any slaves?
  • How were U.S. Senators originally chosen?
  • What changes in American society have created new issues for the government to address?
  • What was the Tweed Ring?
  • What do you think secret service for the Obama girls is like? Is there a dude with a gun and stuff sitting next to them in class? Wouldn't that make it hard for them to concentrate?
  • How many representatives does each state have in the House of Representatives?
  • What is the difference between the Senate Majority/Minority leaders and the Senate Whip?
  • How are justices to the U.S. Supreme Court elected? Is this a good or a bad thing?
  • What type of education do you need to become Speaker of the House?
  • I heard a rumor that if you modify the photo by at least 10%, it doesn't matter if it's copyrighted and you can use it however. Is that true?
  • What do security and infringed mean in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
  • What did Abraham Lincoln mean by A house divided against itself cannot stand"?"
  • Who is the only U.S. President who never won a nationwide election?
  • What is the current law on compulsory vaccinations in the U.S.? Are there any exceptions for people who don't want to get vaccinated?
  • After the stock market crash, how did President Hoover try to help the economy?
  • My economics teacher said something about stagflation , what is that, exactly?
  • How do interest groups play a role in American government?
  • Has Thanksgiving always been on the same day?
  • Can someone who's not a Republican or Democrat win an election?
  • What can you tell me about the 1976 presidential election?
  • The Electoral College — can anyone apply?
  • How do lobbyists influence public policy decisions?
  • What happens if the president doesn't like a piece of legislation?
  • What are the legal elements of a crime?
  • How did the Whiskey Rebellion change people's perception of federal laws in the United States?
  • How do federal judges get their jobs?
  • If you are dressed to conform to an informal, verbal dress code but a different, written dress code is enforced and you get in trouble, do you have a First Amendment right to challenge it? My teachers enforce the dress code inconsistently.
  • How does the CIA recruit people? What types of majors do they typically target?
  • What is the importance of the Declaration of Independence? Why would the founders of our country need to declare" their freedom? Why is it so important today?"
  • What is Presidential Veto Power?
  • What is the purpose of government, and how does a bill become law?
  • Is there a way, other than retiring, to get out of the Supreme Court (such as being dismissed)?
  • When did the pocket veto start?
  • Who would serve as the new president if both the president and vice president resigned?
  • What was the difference in history between the Middle Ages (Medieval Times) and the Renaissance?
  • What's a Congressional Page and how do you become one?
  • Differences Between Public Universities and Private Schools
  • Entering College Without a Major in Mind
  • Figure Out Your College Preference
  • Freshman Dorm Life: Choosing a Roommate
  • Gain an Edge with Community Service
  • Apply to College Online
  • Approach AP Essay Questions with Ease
  • Choose the Right Dorm
  • Choosing a College: The Importance of the Campus Tour
  • Choosing Between a Large or Small College
  • Get a Clue about Community College
  • The College Admissions Interview
  • Get College Info from People around You
  • Getting Into College: Letters of Recommendation
  • Getting the Most from Your High School Guidance Counselor
  • Going to College When You Have a Disability
  • How College Applications Are Reviewed to Determine Acceptance
  • How Many Colleges Should You Apply To?
  • Keep Track of Test Time: Exam Calendar
  • Know What Colleges Are Looking For
  • Know Which Exam's Right for You
  • Pack Your Bags for SAT* Exam Day
  • Plan Wisely for Campus Visits
  • Planning High School Summers with an Eye toward College Admissions
  • Prepare for the Revised SAT*
  • Put Together a College Admission Timeline
  • Read the Right Stuff for the AP* English Literature Exam
  • Save Yourself from Senioritis
  • Start Earning College Credit Early
  • Student Diversity as an Important Factor in Considering Colleges
  • Taking a Year Off between High School and College
  • Take the Right High School Classes to Get into College
  • Technology and the College Application Process
  • Understanding Subject Tests and College Admissions
  • Understanding Your Academic Average and Class Rank
  • Weighing One College's Degree Program against Another
  • Write a College Admissions Essay
  • What Are College Early Action Admissions Plans?
  • What Are College Early Decision and Regular Decision Admissions Plans?
  • What Are College Rolling Admissions Plans?
  • Where Can I Find Info to Compare Colleges?
  • Find Out about Federal Student Aid
  • Filling Out the FAFSA
  • Get to Know the CSS Profile Form
  • Getting Financial Aid Information at School
  • How to Consolidate Private Student Loans
  • Avoid Negotiating with Financial Aid Offers
  • Avoid Scholarship Scams
  • Borrow for College without Going Bust
  • Building a Budget after College with a Financial Diary
  • Consider the Federal Work-Study Program
  • Considering a PLUS Loan
  • Deal with the FAFSA
  • Dealing with Private Student Loans during Financial Hardship
  • Debunking Some Common Myths about Financial Aid
  • How to Gather Information on Your Private Student Loans
  • The Differences between Scholarship and Student Loan Payouts
  • The Federal Pell Grant System
  • Loan Forgiveness of Your Student Loans
  • Negotiating Rent on an Apartment
  • Organize Student Loans with a Private Loans Chart
  • Overpaying on Student Loans for Quicker Payoff
  • Places You Might Not Think to Look for Scholarships
  • Put "Sticker Price" in Perspective
  • Student Loan Deferments and Forbearance
  • Try to Sweeten Your Financial Aid Package
  • Transfer Private Student Loan Debt to Low-Rate Credit Cards
  • Understanding Repayment Periods on Private Student Loans
  • What Happens If You Miss a Student Loan Payment?
  • After the Rush: Pledging a Sorority
  • Avoid Alcohol and Drug Temptations
  • Back to School Considerations for Adult Learners
  • College Professors Appreciate Good Behavior
  • Consider Studying Abroad
  • Deal with the Roommate Experience
  • Decide if the Greek Life Is for You
  • Decide on a Major
  • Find Yourself a Used Car for College
  • Fit Sleep into Student Life
  • Freshman Year Extracurricular Goals
  • Get By on a Limited Cash Flow
  • Get Creative for Summer after College Freshman Year
  • Get the Hang of the Add/Drop Process
  • Get with the Program: Internships, Work-Study, and Service Learning
  • How to Evaluate Campus Life during a College Visit
  • Job Shadow to Explore Careers
  • Key In to Effective Study Habits
  • Maintain Your Mental Health
  • Make the Most of Taking Lecture Notes
  • Pack Up for College
  • Prepare for College Instructor/Student Expectations
  • Put Together a Bibliography or Works Cited
  • Research on the Internet
  • Rule Out Academic Dishonesty
  • Say No to Dating College Friends' Siblings or Exes
  • Student Teaching: Test Drive Your Career in Education
  • Taking a Gamble: Gaming on Campus
  • Transferring from Community College to Four-Year Institution
  • Understand Types of Research Material
  • What to Expect from Sorority Rush
  • Work at a Part-Time Job
  • Write a Top-Notch Research Paper
  • Why do some critics want the 22nd Amendment repealed?
  • What is guerrilla warfare?
  • Years ago I learned that our national highway system has built-in runways for emergency landing strips. Is this still true?
  • What newspapers did Frederick Douglass write for?
  • I know that the days of the week are all named after Norse or Roman gods or the sun and moon, but I can't figure out what Tuesday is named for. Do you know?
  • Can you give me a brief history of Prussia?
  • Who were the Ottomans?
  • Who discovered oxygen?
  • What have been the major Israel and Arab conflicts since World War II?
  • 1What does the cormorant (bird) symbolize in mythology?
  • How did Peter I of Russia come to power?
  • What can you tell me about Kwanzaa?
  • What is the Alma-Ata declaration?
  • I've heard that in some countries, everyone has to sign up for the military between high school and college. Is that true?
  • How were women treated in Ancient Rome?
  • What is the history and meaning of Turkey's flag?
  • How are justices to the US Supreme Court elected Is this a good or a bad thing
  • How did ounce come to be abbreviated as oz.?
  • Why did Cromwell dissolve the first Protectorate parliament?
  • Why does The Great Depression end when the United States enters World War II?
  • What place did the underworld have in Egyptian mythology?
  • Can you explain Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in words that a teen can understand?
  • Who was the most famous mathematician?
  • Where did Christopher Columbus land when he reached the Americas?
  • Who had control of more states during the American Civil War, the North or the South?
  • How did Zeus become ruler of the Greek gods?
  • Why does Santa Claus have so many names — Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, and Kris Kringle?
  • What is antidisestablishmentarianism?
  • What is Leningrad known as today?
  • Who were the leading figures in the Classical period of music?
  • Why didn't the Pope allow Henry VIII a divorce, and who was Catherine of Aragon's relative who came and held siege?
  • Who wrote, A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still"?"
  • Was the Spanish Armada large, and did its crews have notable sailing skill?
  • What was the cause of the War of Spanish Succession?
  • What is the song Yankee Doodle Dandy" really about?"
  • What's the story of the Roanoke colony?
  • How does history reflect what people were thinking at the time?
  • My teacher says there's more than one kind of history. How can that be?
  • What were the turning points in World War II?
  • We just started studying Spanish exploration in North America. What makes it so important today?
  • What was it like for women in the 1920s?
  • Have Americans always been big on sports?
  • Who invented baseball?
  • What did American Indians have to give up for pioneers?
  • How did imperialism spread around the world?
  • How did Imperialism in India come about?
  • What's the big deal about Manifest Destiny?
  • How did the Tet Offensive affect public opinion about the Vietnam War?
  • Why did Christian Lous Lange deserve the Nobel Peace Prize in 1921?
  • Where do the four suits in a deck of cards originate? What do they represent?
  • What was the Roe v. Wade trial?
  • Who is Constantine?
  • I need to know some info on the Monroe Doctrine. I have looked everywhere but I still can't find any information. Can you PLEASE help?
  • Where did the chair originate from? I was sitting on one the other day and it said Made in China," but where did it first come from?"
  • What kind of cash crops did they grow in the South in early America?
  • Everyone talks about how enlightened the Mayans were, but what did they really do?
  • What caused the fall of the Roman Empire? Did Christianity play a role?
  • What was the reason for the downfall of the Russian Empire in 1917?
  • What prompted slavery? Why were the Africans chosen for enslavement?
  • How did World War I start and end?
  • What is The Palestinian Conflict?
  • I don't really understand the French Revolution. What started it, and what stopped it?
  • What was the doctor's diagnosis of Helen Keller when she was a baby?
  • What is the Trail of Tears?
  • When speaking about Native Americans, what is the difference between an Indian tribe and an Indian Nation?
  • What happened during the Boston Massacre?
  • What was sectionalism in America before the Civil War?
  • How did the U.S. attempt to avoid involvement in World War II?
  • What is Ronald Reagan's Tear down this wall" speech about?"
  • Can you describe the United States policy of containment and show an example of an event when the policy was used and why?
  • How many countries are there in the world?
  • What did Columbus do besides sail to the New World?
  • My history teacher said that if your religious denomination isn't Catholic, than you are a Protestant. Is she right?
  • Do you think that Mormons are Christians? What is the full name of the Mormon Church?
  • What principles of the Belmont Report were violated in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study?
  • What is the size of Europe in square miles?
  • The United States was given the right to establish naval bases in the British West Indies during World War II by the British Government in exchange for what?
  • How were the Crusades a turning point in Western history?
  • 10 Things You Need to Know about College (but Probably Don’t)
  • Top 7 Secrets of College Success
  • Heading Off for College? 10 Must-Do's
  • What does impertinent mean (from The American )?
  • I know that the verb pluck means to pull out or pull at, but what's the definition when used as a noun?
  • Which novels would you recommend to 15-year-olds on the theme of places and forms of power?
  • In The Pearl, why didn't John Steinbeck give the pearl buyers identifying names?
  • In the play, The Crucible , why would Arthur Miller include the Note on Historical Accuracy?
  • What is perfidy (from Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser)?
  • Is being pedantic a good or bad thing?
  • Is a termagant a type of seabird?
  • What is ichor (from The Iliad )?
  • In The Hunger Games, why did Cinna choose to be the designer for District 12?
  • Is a rivulet really a river, only smaller?
  • Charles Dickens has this person called the beadle" in lots of his books. Is that like a nickname for a man with buggy eyes or something?"
  • In Brave New World, why are family words like father and mother viewed as obscene?
  • What is the main tenet of stoicism?
  • What's the meaning of obsequious (from Theodore Dreiser's urban novel Sister Carrie )?
  • Where are the Antipodes (from Much Ado about Nothing )?
  • What is a truckle bed (from Romeo and Juliet )?
  • What does truculent (from Great Expectations ) mean?
  • If someone inculcates you, should you feel insulted?
  • What does the phrase Ethiop words" mean in Shakespeare's As You Like It ?"
  • I was chatting with a neighbor who said I was quite garrulous . Nice or mean?
  • What does laconic mean?
  • At a restaurant famous for its rude servers, a waitress told me to lump it" when I asked for another napkin. Can you tell me about that phrase?"
  • What does urbane (from Daisy Miller ) mean?
  • I thought necro had something to do with being dead. So, what's a necromancer ? Sounds creepy.
  • In The House of Mirth, this guy named Gus Trenor is eating a jellied plover." Is that some kind of doughnut?"
  • What are some well-known novels whose titles are quotations from Shakespeare?
  • In Orwell's 1984, what does the opening sentence suggest about the book?
  • Understanding the literary genre Magical Realism
  • What's a prig?
  • I asked my granddad if he liked his new apartment and he said, It's all hunky-dory, kiddo." What did he mean?"
  • What does mephitic (from Man and Superman ) mean?
  • I hate finding typos in books. Here's one I've seen several times: jalousies instead of jealousies.
  • On the second week of my summer job at a bookstore, my boss handed me an envelope with what she called my emoluments. Looked like a paycheck to me, though.
  • In To Kill a Mockingbird, what are some examples of the characters having courage?
  • What's cud? I was once told to stop chewing my cud and get back to work.
  • What can you tell me about the word patois from The Awakening ?
  • What are thews (from Ivanhoe )?
  • What does pot-shop (from The Pickwick Papers ) mean?
  • Are all dowagers women?
  • If someone is the titular head of a political party, does it mean they have all the power?
  • The word flummox confuses me. What does it mean?
  • Somebody told me I looked pasty. Does that mean I've eaten too many sweets?
  • I started taking private bassoon lessons. When I arrived at my teacher’s house, he told me to wait in the anteroom. I wasn’t sure where to go.
  • Is anomalous the same as anonymous ?
  • I know that a fathom is a unit of measure used by sailors, but how long is a fathom?
  • What is a joss (from Victory, by Joseph Conrad)?
  • What does eschew (from The Pickwick Papers ) mean?
  • What does excrescence (from The Call of the Wild ) mean?
  • What does the word covert mean?
  • In Shakespeare's Sonnet 125, what is an oblation ?
  • In Moby-Dick , what does vitiate mean?
  • In War and Peace , what does bane mean?
  • In Jane Eyre , what are chilblains ?
  • Does mendacious refer to something that is fixable (mendable)?
  • Is kickshawses one of those weird words that Shakespeare coined? What does it mean?
  • You say in CliffsNotes that In Cold Blood was Truman Capote's undoing. How?
  • What is renege , in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra ?
  • What is maxim ? I think it's a female name but I'm not sure.
  • Last Valentine's Day, this guy I barely know gave me a rose and said something about ardent love. What does ardent mean?
  • In Act I, Scene 1, of King Lear, what does benison mean?
  • What kind of literature is a picaresque novel?
  • What does culpable mean?
  • What's a cenotaph ? Every Veterans Day, I hear about the Queen of England laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in London.
  • What does gallimaufry mean in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ? My vocabulary is pretty good, but that one has me stumped!
  • What does it mean to genuflect ?
  • Someone told me I was looking wistful. What is wistful ?
  • In David Copperfield, what does superannuated mean?
  • Does the word syllogism have something to do with biology?
  • I see the word benefactor a lot in my reading assignments. Is that somebody who benefits from something?
  • I found a funny word in The Glass Castle. Where did skedaddle come from and what does it mean?
  • Does sinuous mean something like full of sin"? I saw the word in The Devil in the White City ."
  • In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, what is the meaning of the word propaganda ?
  • What are characteristics of Modernist literature, fiction in particular?
  • What does my brother mean when he says he's too ensconced in his studies to look for a girlfriend?
  • My grandpa complained about a bunch of politicians making what he called chin music . Did he mean they were in a loud band?
  • What is melodrama?
  • In Dracula, what's a missal ?
  • In the terms abject poverty and abject misery, what does abject mean?
  • In Moby-Dick, what does craven mean?
  • What does cicatrize mean?
  • What is a noisome smell" in Tolstoy's War and Peace ?"
  • What is an apostasy, from the George Bernard Shaw play, Man and Superman ?
  • In Jane Eyre, what's syncope ?
  • I just read Dracula. What's the forcemeat in Jonathan Harker's journal?
  • Can the word stern mean more than one thing?
  • Where is Yoknapatawpha county?
  • What does smouch mean?
  • I'm supposed to write a comparison of Hektor and Achilles from Homer's The Iliad, but I don't know where to start.
  • How do you pronounce quay ? And what does it mean, anyway?
  • What are some examples of paradox in the novel Frankenstein ?
  • In Ivanhoe, what does mammock mean?
  • What does rummage mean?
  • Is a mummer some type of religious person?
  • Some guy I don't like told his friend I was acting all demure. What does that mean?
  • When I complained about our cafeteria food, my biology teacher told me he wished they'd serve agarics. Was he talking about some kind of dessert?
  • Where did the name Of Mice and Men come from?
  • What genre would you consider the book, The Outsiders ?
  • In Fahrenheit 451, why would a society make being a pedestrian a crime?
  • What does the phrase, a worn-out man of fashion" mean from Jane Eyre ?"
  • Is sagacity a medical condition?
  • My teacher told me I was being obdurate. Was that a compliment?
  • What motives inspired Iago to plot revenge against Othello?
  • Who was the first king of Rome?
  • What does enervate mean?
  • What is a parvenu ? I saw the word in William Makepeace Thackeray's book Vanity Fair.
  • Is salubrity somehow related to being famous?
  • Do capers have something to do with cops?
  • What's the difference between a soliloquy and a monologue?
  • In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce uses the word pandybat . What's a pandybat?
  • Does the word inexorable have something to do with driving demons out of a person?
  • Do people who prognosticate have some sort of special power?
  • What is a hegemony, from James Joyce's Ulysses ?
  • What are fallow fields ? I'm a city gal who heard the term at a 4-H fair and just read it in Anna Karenina.
  • What's the difference between parody and satire?
  • Lord of the Flies uses the word inimical. What does it mean?
  • What does dreadnaught mean, as it’s used in Bleak House?
  • I saw vertiginous in Madame Bovary. What does mean the word mean?
  • What does overweening mean, in Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes?
  • Can you hear a dirge anyplace but a funeral?
  • Does imperturbable refer to something you can't break through?
  • What are the seven ages of man?
  • What is a chimera , in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë?
  • What's dross ?
  • What is an injunction ?
  • For school I had to make a Napoleon hat, which called for a cockade. What is that?
  • If someone studies assiduously, does it mean they're working really hard or really slowly?
  • Define mood as it relates to a work of fiction. Distinguish mood from effect.
  • My sister calls me the Princess of Prevarication." What's prevarication ?"
  • What's turpitude, as in moral turpitude"?"
  • What's the definition of tenebrous ?
  • This biography I'm reading about Queen Victoria says that she refused to remove the hatchment she had for her husband Prince Albert. What does that word mean?
  • What does sine qua non mean?
  • What's lugubrious mean?
  • What's impugn mean, from Ivanhoe?
  • What does postprandial mean?
  • I love reading fashion magazines and occasionally come across the word atelier. What is that?
  • What does King Lear mean when he says that ingratitude is a marble-hearted fiend"?"
  • What is celerity , from Ivanhoe ?
  • In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein , what are disquisitions ?
  • What's shrive ? My neighbor said she's been unshriven for years, but I think her skin looks quite shriveled.
  • What's a dobbin ?
  • What's polemic ? Over winter break, my uncle told me I was polemic and asked if I was on the debate team at school.
  • I came across a list of homonyms: mu, moo, moue . I know mu is Greek for the letter m , and moo is the sound cows make, but what's a moue ?
  • What does trow mean?
  • In Far from the Madding Crowd , what does cavil mean?
  • What does Charles Dickens mean when he says “toadies and humbugs” in his book, Great Expectations ?
  • Where can I find the word naught in The Scarlet Letter ?
  • I found an old diary from the 1800s where the writer describes how he almost died but was saved by a sinapism . What is that?
  • I know what mulch is, but what's mulct ?
  • When our teacher was introducing the next reading assignment, he said we'll be using the unexpurgated version. What did he mean?
  • For some reason, the word dingle sticks in my head after having read Treasure Island years ago. I never did discover what it meant. How about it, Cliff?
  • In Dracula , what's stertorous breathing?
  • What does philippic mean?
  • I'm usually pretty good at guessing what words mean, but have no clue about exigence . What is it?
  • What's doughty ? How do you pronounce it?
  • What's sharecropping? I'm kind of embarrassed to ask, because it's one of those words everyone assumes you know what it means.
  • I'm working on my summer reading list with Kafka's The Trial. The very first sentence uses traduce , and I don't know what that means.
  • What does the cormorant (bird) symbolize in mythology?
  • I saw the word badinage in the book Uncle Tom's Cabin . Do you think that's a typo that really should be bandage ?
  • On a TV modeling contest, a judge said, Her simian walk is unbelievable." Was that a good thing?"
  • What is the definition of adverbiously , from Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities ?
  • In Oliver Twist , Dodger refers to Oliver as flash companion . Can't find a definition of this anywhere. What does it mean?
  • Do elocutionists kill people?
  • For my English homework, I have to write a love poem. I'm only 13 and I haven't had my first love yet. How would I go about writing about feelings that I haven't felt yet?
  • Where on the body would I find my sarcophagus ?
  • What's stolid ? It sounds like someone who's stupid and built solid like a wall.
  • What's a wonton person?
  • In which play did William Shakespeare state that misery loves company?
  • What's comfit ? Is it a different way of saying comfort?
  • Where did the story Frankenstein by Mary Shelley take place?
  • What kind of person would a shallow-pate be?
  • What are myrmidons of Justice" in Great Expectations ?"
  • Faseeshis … no clue on the spelling, but I kind of got yelled at in school today for being that. What did I do?
  • In The Red Badge of Courage , what's an imprecation ?
  • The word portmanteau shows up in a lot of the literature I read for school assignments. It sounds French. What does it mean?
  • I did something really stupid yesterday, and my grandfather told me I was hoist with my own petard." What does that mean? And what's a petard ?"
  • How do you pronounce Cymbeline, one of Shakespeare's early comedies?
  • What's a bourse ? I read it in my finance class.
  • In The House of Mirth, what are oubliettes ?
  • In Tess of the d'Urbervilles, what are thimble-riggers ?
  • In Wuthering Heights , what's a thible ?
  • Which Hemingway story references the running of the bulls" in Spain?"
  • What's a clink? My dad mentioned that his granddad was there for a long time during World War I.
  • If somebody is toady," does it mean they're ugly?"
  • Who said all's fair in love and war" and where?"
  • Why is there so much talk about baseball, especially Joe DiMaggio, in The Old Man and the Sea ?
  • In the movie Failure to Launch , there's a line that goes, Well, she certainly is yar," in reference to a yacht. What's yar ?"
  • What does mangle mean in Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities ?
  • I got detention because a teacher said I was being contumacious . What's that?
  • What are encomiums?
  • What are billets in The Three Musketeers ?
  • In Orwell's 1984 , what is doublethink ?
  • What are orts ? That's a weird word that reminds me of orcs from The Lord of the Rings .
  • What are alliteration and assonance?
  • How is John the Savage's name ironic in Brave New World ?
  • What's quinsy?
  • What is a doppelgänger?
  • What is New Historicism?
  • I found the word unwonted in a book I'm reading. Is that a typo, you think?
  • In Heart of Darkness , what does cipher mean?
  • In the play The Glass Menagerie, would you describe Tom as selfish?
  • What does Kantian mean, from a philosophical perspective?
  • What's a colonnade ? My girlfriend is freaking me out with stories of her dream wedding where she walks down a colonnade. I know this is the least of my problems, but I'm curious.
  • My grandma says she knows how I feel when I knit my brows. Is she crazy?
  • Why is Shakespeare's play titled Julius Caesar , even though he is dead by Act III and plays a relatively small role?
  • I know bier has something to do with dead people, but what is it exactly?
  • My brainy brother owns a Harley and says his girlfriend is the pillion . Is he insulting her or just showing off?
  • I ran across the word mien in a book. Is it a typo?
  • Is a younker a person or a place?
  • Does precipitancy have something to do with the weather?
  • I'm writing a grade 12 comparative essay, and I need a book that I could compare with All Quiet on the Western Front. Any suggestions?
  • A friend says she suffers from ineffable sadness. What's ineffable ?
  • What's a scow ?
  • Is a maelstrom some kind of dangerous weather?
  • What is the meaning of this saying, The cat will mew and dog will have his day"?"
  • What is a paradox ?
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray mentions a panegyric on youth. What does that mean?
  • In Madame Bovary , what's a mairie?
  • In The Kite Runner, what's palliative mean?
  • So what's oligarchy ? In government class, my teacher mentioned that word when we were talking about the Blagojevich scandal in Illinois.
  • Is intrepidity a good thing or a bad thing?
  • My grandmother told me that she thinks grandpa should see an alienist. Does she think he's from another planet or what?
  • Do you have to have licentiousness to get your driver's license?
  • I ran across the word hardihood in something I read the other day. Is it some kind of clothing?
  • I saw mention of haversack in my history book. What does that word mean?
  • I'm guessing the word quadroon is four of something. But what's a roon?
  • I'm trying to understand Shakespeare's play, King Lear . Can you explain these quotes from Act 1, Scene 1?
  • In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment , what's a samovar ?
  • I came across a music channel that featured tejano," and then I saw the same word when I was reading Bless Me, Ultima. What does it mean?"
  • In The Awakening , there's a term prunella gaiter." I'm guessing that gaiters are a type of covering for your legs, like the gaiters I use on my ski boots to keep snow out. But what the heck is prunella? Is it a purplish color like prunes?"
  • What's sedulous mean?
  • In Chapter 2 of Jane Eyre , what are divers parchments ?
  • A friend of mine said she hopes to get a counterpane for Christmas. What's that?
  • In Wuthering Heights, what does munificent mean?
  • The other day, my dad called my friends a motley crew. Is that his way of saying I should hang out with a different crowd?
  • Why is there an authorship problem with Shakespeare?
  • What is it called when something is out of place in time, like a jet stream in a movie about ancient Rome?
  • In 1984 , does Winston die from a bullet at the end of the book or is he in a dream-state?
  • I saw some old guy in a soldier's uniform selling fake red flowers. He said it was for Veterans Day. What's the connection?
  • I was kind of flirting with this really cute boy when my teacher told me to stop palavering. Did she want me to stop flirting or stop talking?
  • My grandmother says when she was a kid in China, she became Catholic because of the Mary Knows nuns. I tried to look that up on the Internet but couldn't find anything. Can you help?
  • In The Count of Monte Cristo , does cupidity mean love? I'm guessing that because of, you know, Cupid . . . Valentine's Day.
  • My theater teacher called me a name the other day. I don't think it was supposed to be a compliment. What's a somnambulist, anyway?
  • Why was Tartuffe such a jerk?
  • To Kill a Mockingbird has this word fey in it, but I don't know what it means. Does it mean short lived or fleeting?
  • In Pride and Prejudice , what's probity" &mdash
  • I never met my grandma, who my mom says lives in a hovel and wants her to move in with us. Then I saw that word in Frankenstein . What's a hovel? I thought it was like a place that had room service.
  • I have a friend who said something about phantasmagoric. That's not real, is it?
  • Which of the following literary devices is used in these poetic lines by John Milton?
  • In Faulkner's A Rose for Emily," what does noblesse oblige mean?"
  • What is love?
  • What is suggested by the coin image in Book II of A Tale of Two Cities ?
  • Why does Satan rebel against God?
  • I'm reading Candide, by Voltaire, and one of the dudes is an Anabaptist. What's that?
  • What does the poem Summer Sun" by Robert Louis Stevenson really mean?"
  • What did Shakespeare want to say about his beloved in Sonnet 18?
  • In Romeo and Juliet , who was the last person to see Juliet alive?
  • What is the Catechism?
  • What is the overall meaning of the poem Before The Sun," by Charles Mungoshi?"
  • What does ague mean?
  • Is there a reference to venereal disease in Romeo and Juliet ?
  • What is fantasy fiction?
  • What is the exposition in Othello ?
  • Who is the character Susan in Romeo and Juliet ?
  • What is a found poem?
  • What did Alice Walker mean in the essay Beauty"?"
  • Why did Dr. Frankenstein create his monster?
  • What is the name of the surgeon and the English ship he's on in Moby-Dick ?
  • What are the differences between an epic hero and a Romantic hero?
  • In Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, does Gail Wynand commit suicide or only close The Banner at the end of the novel? I'm in a literary dispute over this!
  • What did W.E.B. Du Bois mean when he wrote of second-sight?
  • What is nihilism, and what should I read to get a better understanding of it?
  • What is the difference between an atheist and an agnostic?
  • What are intelligent design and creationism and how are they related?
  • What is misanthropy ?
  • I would like to understand the poem Blight" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Please help."
  • Can you explain the significance of the question, Which came first, the chicken or the egg?""
  • In Little Lost Robot," by Isaac Asimov, why have some robots been impressioned with only part of the First Law of Robotics?"
  • Can you explain Cartesian Dualism and how Descartes' philosophical endeavors led him to dualism?
  • When reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice , what does entailment mean?
  • What does ignominy mean? (From Shelley's Frankenstein )
  • What does pecuniary mean? (From Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities )
  • How do I analyze Kant's philosophy?
  • What is an apostrophe in Macbeth ?
  • Is music a language?
  • Why should literature be studied?
  • In the book The Scarlet Letter , what is a vigil ?
  • The first week of school isn't even over yet and I'm already in trouble — I forgot my textbook at school and can't do my homework! What should I do now?!
  • What are the renaissance features/characteristics in Hamlet ?
  • What is the exact quote in Hamlet about something being wrong in Denmark? Something smells? Something is amiss?
  • What does Utilitarianism mean, from a philosophical perspective?
  • What was the form of English that Shakespeare used?
  • At the beginning of Act V, Scene 2 of Much Ado About Nothing, does Shakespeare insinuate that anything is going on between Margaret and Benedick?
  • What was the "final solution" in the book Night by Elie Wiesel?
  • With the many novels out there, is there a database of some sort that can narrow down your choices to a specific book of interest for pleasure reading? And if not, why hasn't there been?
  • How do you pronounce Houyhnhnms ? (From Swift's Gulliver's Travels )
  • I just took the quiz on The Great Gatsby on this site. How can Jordan Baker be described as a professional golfer? To my knowledge, the LPGA did not form until the mid-1950s. Shouldn't she be referred to as an amateur golfer instead?
  • What are the humanities?
  • If Father, Son, and Holy Ghost aren't names, what is God's name?
  • What classic novels take place in Florida?
  • In which Hemingway short story is the saying, "Children's shoes for sale"?
  • Who is the "lady" that Robert Plant speaks of in the song "Stairway to Heaven"?
  • Was Odysseus the one who planned the Trojan horse, in the Trojan War?
  • How do I get my smart-but-hates-to-read son interested in reading?
  • Poetry gives me problems. How can I figure out what poems are about?
  • How do you analyze a novel?
  • What does it mean to ululate ? (From Golding's Lord of the Flies )
  • Is ambrosia a salad? (From Homer's The Odyssey )
  • What is a harbinger ? (From Shakespeare's Macbeth )
  • What does it mean to be refractory ? (From Dickens' Great Expectations )
  • What is a querulous kid? (From Wharton's Ethan Frome )
  • What does the word runagate mean? (From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet )
  • What is the word, imprimis ? (From Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew )
  • What does the word alchemy mean? (From Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter )
  • What is an estuary ? (From Conrad's Heart of Darkness )
  • What or who is a scullion ? (From Shakespeare's Hamlet )
  • What is a schism ? (From Swift's Gulliver's Travels )
  • What does it mean to be salubrious ? (From Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights )
  • What is a replication ? (From Shakespeare's Hamlet )
  • What is vicissitude ? (From Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables )
  • Can you define indolent ? (From Wharton's House of Mirth )
  • What does the word replete mean? (From Shakespeare's Henry V )
  • What are orisons ? (From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet )
  • What does it mean to be ephemeral ?
  • What does it mean to be placid ? (From Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre )
  • What is a paroxysm ? (From Stoker's Dracula )
  • My English teacher got really mad when I said I was nauseous . Why?
  • What does it mean to be farinaceous ? (From Tolstoy's Anna Karenina )
  • What does dejection mean? (From Shelley's Frankenstein )
  • What is animadversion ? (From Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter )
  • What does it mean to be timorous ? (From Shakespeare's Othello )
  • Someone called me erudite . Is that good?
  • What is a mountebank ? (From Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter )
  • What does incarnadine mean? (From Shakespeare's Macbeth )
  • What does it mean to be puissant? (From Shakespeare's Julius Caesar)
  • What is a purloiner? (From Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities)
  • What does it mean to be affable ? (From Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment )
  • What does it mean to be ostensible ? (From Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court )
  • What does compunction mean? (From Dickens's Bleak House )
  • What is behoveful ? (From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet )
  • What is a precentor ? (From Golding's Lord of the Flies )
  • What does it mean to be loquacious ? (From Cervantes's Don Quixote )
  • What does imprudence mean? (From Ibsen's A Doll's House )
  • What is a conflagration ? (From Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde )
  • What does it mean to be spurious ? (From James' Daisy Miller )
  • What is a retinue ? (From Swift's Gulliver's Travels )
  • What does the word forsworn mean? (From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet )
  • What does the word hauteur mean? (From Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby )
  • What are vituperations ? (From Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl )
  • What are ostents ? (From Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice )
  • What is a sockdolager ? (From Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn )
  • What does insuperable mean? (From Shelley's Frankenstein )
  • What is calumny ? (From Shakespeare's Hamlet )
  • What is an augury ? (From Sophocles' Antigone )
  • What does squally mean? (From Dickens' Great Expectations )
  • What does corporal mean? (From Shakespeare's Macbeth )
  • What does it mean to be plausible ? (From Sinclair's The Jungle )
  • What is a dearth ? (From Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre )
  • What does it mean to vacillate ? (From Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest )
  • What does it mean to obtrude someone? (From Dickens's Great Expectations )
  • What is a heterodox ? (From Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter )
  • What is felicity ? (From Austen's Emma )
  • What does it mean to be effacing ? (From Adams's The Education of Henry Adams )
  • What is a repast ? (From Chan Tsao's Dream of the Red Chamber )
  • What does insouciance mean? (From Sinclair's The Jungle )
  • What is a soliloquy ? (From Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn )
  • I was reading The Iliad and there's this word in it: greaves . What's that?
  • What does the word prodigality mean? (From Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby )
  • Is there an easy way to understand The Canterbury Tales ?
  • What does the scarlet letter symbolize?
  • What is the significance of Grendel's cave in Beowulf ?
  • How did Hawthorne show that Hester Prynne was a strong woman in The Scarlet Letter ?
  • What purpose do the three witches serve at the beginning of Macbeth ?
  • What can you tell me about Grendel from Beowulf ?
  • What figurative language does Stephen Crane use in The Red Badge of Courage ?
  • Why is Roger so mean in Lord of the Flies ?
  • How do Gene and Finny mirror each other in A Separate Peace ?
  • The old man and the young wife — what's up with story plots like this?
  • What part does vengeance play in The Odyssey ?
  • What kind of a woman is Penelope in The Odyssey ?
  • Do fate and fortune guide the actions in Macbeth ?
  • How does Frankenstein relate to Paradise Lost ?
  • How has the way people view Othello changed over time?
  • How does Henry change throughout The Red Badge of Courage ?
  • What's so great about Gatsby?
  • How is To Kill a Mockingbird a coming-of-age story?
  • Why did Ophelia commit suicide in Hamlet ?
  • What is the setting of The Scarlet Letter ?
  • What is a slave narrative?
  • What's an anachronism ?
  • Doesn't Raskolnikov contradict himself in Crime and Punishment ?
  • What is the main theme of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ?
  • What does Shakespeare mean by memento mori ?
  • What are inductive and deductive arguments?
  • How does Alice Walker break the rules" of literature with The Color Purple ?"
  • What role does Friar Laurence play in Romeo and Juliet ?
  • Why did Elie Wiesel call his autobiography Night ?
  • How does Shakespeare play with gender roles in Macbeth ?
  • Where did Dickens get the idea to write A Tale of Two Cities ?
  • What's the purpose of the preface to The Scarlet Letter ?
  • What role do women play in A Tale of Two Cities ?
  • Who are the heroes and villains in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?
  • What are the ides of March?
  • Was Kate really a shrew in The Taming of the Shrew ?
  • What role does innocence play in The Catcher in the Rye ?
  • How are Tom and Huck different from each other in Huckleberry Finn ?
  • What is blank verse and how does Shakespeare use it?
  • How do the book and film versions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest differ?
  • What is a satirical novel?
  • What is the role of censorship in Fahrenheit 451 ?
  • How can I keep myself on track to get through my summer reading list?
  • How does Jim fit into the overall theme of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ?
  • What is a major theme of The Great Gatsby ?
  • How does Shakespeare use light and darkness in Romeo and Juliet ?
  • Who is the narrator in Faulkner's A Rose for Emily"?"
  • In Lord of the Flies , what statement is William Golding making about evil?
  • How is The Catcher in the Rye different from other coming-of-age novels?
  • How does Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird show two sides?
  • Was there supposed to be a nuclear war in The Handmaid's Tale ? I couldn't tell.
  • What is experimental theater"?"
  • Does Jonas die at the end of The Giver ?
  • What is an inciting incident, and how do I find one in Lord of the Flies ?
  • How does King Arthur die?
  • In Julius Caesar , what does this mean: Cowards die many times before their deaths
  • How do you write a paper on comparing a movie with the book?
  • Please explain this Kipling quote: Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.""
  • What is a tragic flaw?
  • What is a motif, and how can I find them in Macbeth ?
  • Why didn't Socrates write any books? After all, he was supposed to be so intelligent and wise.
  • Why are there blanks in place of people's names and places in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice ?
  • Was Othello a king? A prince? He's referred to as My Lord" but I'm not sure of his actual title."
  • I need to download some pictures of Juliet. Where would I find these?
  • Why does Odysseus decide to listen to the Sirens, in The Odyssey , by Homer?
  • What does prose and poetry mean? What's the difference?
  • In The Scarlet Letter, why is the scaffold important and how does it change over the course of the novel?
  • Why does the legend of King Arthur hold such a powerful grip over us?
  • Do you like to read books?
  • What are the metrical features in poetry?
  • What are the riddles that Gollum asked Bilbo in The Hobbit ?
  • Can you tell me what these two quotes from Much Ado About Nothing mean?
  • What is connotation, and how do you find it in a poem?
  • What is a dramatic monologue?
  • What is formal fallacy?
  • In the movie Dead Poets Society, what are some themes and values that are relevant to Transcendentalism. What is Transcendentalism?
  • Why didn't Mina Harker realize she was under Dracula's spell when she witnessed her friend fall prey to him, too? Wasn't it obvious?
  • In The Three Musketeers by Dumas, Cardinal Richelieu is labeled as the villain. How could he be presented as a hero instead?
  • In Romeo and Juliet , what are the different types of irony used? Um, what's irony?
  • What is the main theme in Fahrenheit 451 ?
  • In Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities , what fact in Book the Second: Chapters 1-6, confirms Darnay's release?
  • Why is Invisible Man considered a bildungsroman?
  • In A Doll's House , what risqué item does Nora reveal to Dr. Rank that eventually prompts him to disclose his own secret?
  • What is a definition of short story?
  • What percentage of people are considered geniuses?
  • How do I write and publish my own novel?
  • Do I use the past or present tense to answer this question: What is this poem about?" "
  • A Closer Look at Internships
  • Consider Working for a Nonprofit Organization
  • Create a Top-Quality Cover Letter
  • Deciding Whether to Go for Your MBA
  • Dress the Part for a Job Interview
  • Appropriate Attire: Defining Business Casual
  • Famous Americans Who Started Out in the Military
  • The Benefits of Joining a Professional Organization
  • Five Job Interview Mistakes
  • Getting Good References for Your Job Hunt
  • Lying on Your Resume
  • Make the Most of Days between Jobs
  • Military Career Opportunity: Translators and Interpreters
  • Network Your Way into a Job
  • Prepare for a Job Interview
  • Preparing for Job Interview Questions
  • Putting Your English Degree to Work
  • Putting Your Education Degree to Work
  • Take Advantage of Job and Career Fairs
  • Tips for a Better Resume
  • Understand Negotiable Elements of a Job Offer
  • Visit the College Career Office
  • Write a Resume That Will Get Noticed
  • Write a Thank You Note after an Interview
  • Writing a Follow-Up Letter after Submitting Your Resume
  • Your Military Career: Basics of Officer Candidate School
  • Your Military Career: Requirements for Officer Candidate School
  • Know What to Expect in Graduate School
  • Paying for Graduate School
  • Plan for Graduate Education
  • Tackle the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
  • What Does School Accreditation Mean?
  • Writing Essays for Your Business School Application
  • Apply to Graduate School
  • Basic Requirements for Grad School
  • Choose a Graduate School
  • Decide if Graduate School Is Right for You
  • English Majors: Selecting a Graduate School or Program
  • Getting Letters of Recommendation for Your Business School Application
  • Graduate School Application: Tips, Advice, and Warnings
  • Graduate School: Applying as a Returning Student
  • How to Find a Mentor for Graduate School
  • How to Prepare for Grad School as an Undergrad
  • How Work Experience Affects Your MBA Application
  • Master's Degree in Biology: Choosing a Grad School
  • In what countries does Toyota produce and market cars?
  • How would you use the PDSA cycle in your personal life?
  • I am confused about adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing negative numbers.
  • Who are some famous female mathematicians?
  • Given the set of numbers [7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42], find a subset of these numbers that sums to 100.
  • The speed limit on a certain part of the highway is 65 miles per hour. What is this in feet per minute?
  • What is the sum of the angles of an octagon?
  • In math, what does reciprocal mean?
  • How many grams in an ounce?
  • A number is 20 less than its square. Find all answers.
  • How much is 1,000 thousands?
  • How do I find the angles of an isosceles triangle whose two base angles are equal and whose third angle is 10 less than three times a base angle?
  • Explain with words and an example how any number raised to the zero power is 1?
  • If I had 550 coins in a machine worth $456.25, what would be the denomination of each coin?
  • What three consecutive numbers add up to 417?
  • How many 100,000,000s in 50 billion?
  • Of 100 students asked if they like rock and roll or country music, 7 said they like neither, 90 said they like rock and roll, and 57 said they like country music. How many students like both?
  • What's the formula to convert square feet into square meters?
  • In math, what is the definition of order of operations?
  • What's the difference between digital and analog?
  • What is the square root of 523,457?
  • What are all of the prime numbers?
  • Our teacher told us to look for clues in math word problems. What did she mean?
  • How do I figure out math word problems (without going crazy)?
  • What good is geometry going to do me after I get out of school?
  • I keep forgetting how to add fractions. Can you remind me?
  • My teacher talks about the Greatest Common Factor. What's so great about it?
  • Got any tips on finding percentages of a number?
  • What does associative property mean when you’re talking about adding numbers?
  • How do I use domain and range in functions?
  • How do I change percents to decimals and fractions? How about decimals and fractions to percents?
  • What should I do if my teacher wants me to solve an inequality on a number line?
  • What is a fast and easy way to work word problems?
  • How do you combine numbers and symbols in an algebraic equation?
  • How do I go about rounding off a number?
  • What is the First Derivative Test for Local Extrema?
  • Can you describe a prism for me?
  • How can I double-check my answers to math equations?
  • How do you factor a binomial?
  • I get the words mean , mode , median , and range mixed up in math. What do they all mean?
  • How do you combine like terms in algebra?
  • Can you make it easier for me to understand what makes a number a prime number?
  • Explain probability to me (and how about some examples)?
  • Solving story problems is, well, a problem for me. Can you help?
  • What's inferential statistics all about?
  • Finding percentages confuses me. Do you have any tips to make it simpler?
  • What's a quadratic equation, and how do I solve one?
  • How do you figure out probability?
  • How do you add integers?
  • How do you use factoring in quadratic equations?
  • What are limits in calculus?
  • I've looked everywhere to find the meaning of this word and I can't find it. What's the definition of tesseract ?
  • In geometry, how do you get the perimeters of a square and a rectangle?
  • What is the absolute value of a negative number?
  • A rectangle swimming pool is 24m longer than it is wide and is surrounded by a deck 3m wide. Find the area of the pool if the area of the deck is 324m 2 . Where do I even start to solve this problem?
  • How do you classify numbers, as in rational numbers, integers, whole numbers, natural numbers, and irrational numbers? I am mostly stuck on classifying fractions.
  • How do you convert a fraction to a decimal or change a decimal to a fraction?
  • I am trying to find all solutions to this algebra (factoring) problem, x 3 – 3x 2 – x + 3 = 0, and I keep getting the wrong answer. Please help!
  • Sometimes when I'm doing my pre-calculus homework I need help on some of the problems. Do you know where I can find help on the weekends or whenever?
  • How do you convert metric measurements?
  • I'm curious about converting Celsius to Fahrenheit, or Fahrenheit to Celsius. How do I convert from one to the other?
  • In basic math, the fraction bar shows division. So why does this equation show multiplication instead of division? 9/9 = 1 because 1 x 9 = 9.
  • I'm taking geometry and I'm having problem with the angles and the degree. Is there a way you can help me out?
  • The perimeter of a rectangle is 66m. The width is 9m less than the length. What is the length and width of the rectangle?
  • How many dollars are in 5,000 pesos?
  • How many ounces in a pound?
  • I'm having a hard time remembering percent of change. All I have is P (percent) = amount of change over original amount. Is there a better way of understanding it?
  • How do I figure out tangrams?
  • What are quadrilaterals?
  • What is the least common multiple of 8, 6, and 12?
  • How do you convert decimals to fractions?
  • How did the planet" Pluto get its name? I know it's named after the mythical god of the underworld, but why?"
  • What is the difference between the earth's core and its crust?
  • What does gender really mean?
  • What does plum pudding have to do with physics?
  • What is the functionalist perspective in sociology?
  • What does pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis mean?
  • Why aren't viruses considered living things?
  • Why does your breathing rate increase when you exercise?
  • Everyone says you shouldn't clean your ears with cotton swabs because you could break an eardrum. But if you do break your eardrum, will it grow back?
  • What is a mole?
  • How, and why, is body fat stored?
  • Where on the body do you find ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium?
  • Since she was only married for 72 days, does Kim Kardashian have to give back her wedding gifts?
  • In the United States, how can you get buried at sea?
  • What exactly is Salvia divinorum , and is it legal?
  • What is the composition and volume of whole blood?
  • Should I refer to a widow as Mrs., Miss, or Ms.?
  • Is it possible to catch more than one cold at a time?
  • Why does the Earth have more gravitational force than the moon or some other planet?
  • Did humans evolve from monkeys or apes?
  • What is the largest organ in the human body?
  • How did we end up with both Fahrenheit and Celsius scales?
  • What is absolute zero?
  • What is cell theory?
  • How come when humans flatulate, it smells bad?
  • How do I convert mL into µL, and vice versa?
  • What is the most abundant element in the earth's crust?
  • Is global warming man-made?
  • What exactly is wind? And why does it blow?
  • This sounds really disgusting, but I'm curious: Can humans drink animal blood, or any other kind of blood?
  • Why is space exploration important?
  • How is photosynthesis essential to life on earth?
  • What is the highest mountain in New Mexico?
  • What's the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?
  • Who are the unbelievers" referred to in The Koran? What is it that they do not believe?"
  • What is the difference between Sunnis and Shi'ites?
  • What happens when you die?
  • Why is it important to memorize where the 50 states are on a map?
  • What kind of endangered species are there? Can you give me some examples, please?
  • It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open, so when you drive a car, is it against the law to sneeze?
  • What are tectonic plates?
  • I have boy trouble. I want to ask out my friend, but I am not sure he is going to say yes. Plus, he said he had a girlfriend when we talked during school. Plus, my parents don't want me to date.
  • Why is the sky blue?
  • Do you really shrink at the end of the day and then grow in the morning?
  • What is the difference between matter" and "mass"?"
  • What does "nature versus nurture" mean?
  • What are closed contour lines?
  • What is homeostasis ?
  • What does the periodic table look like?
  • Do you know anything about the law of conservation of energy? Is it really a law?
  • I thought I knew what work means, but my physics teacher defines it differently. What's up with that?
  • How do plants know when to drop their leaves?
  • What's the surface of the moon like?
  • How does the number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom differentiate it from another atom?
  • How do big rocks wear down over time?
  • What does genetic recombination mean?
  • How has DNA matching really made big difference in finding out who committed a crime?
  • What's the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?
  • What is incomplete dominance?
  • Can hydrocarbons be considered compounds?
  • Can you explain what molar mass is?
  • Aren't fungi really plants?
  • What information is contained in a chemical equation?
  • What are the endocrine and exocrine systems?
  • How do electrical charges interact?
  • Are there more than three kingdoms of life? I can never remember.
  • What are the characteristics of electrically charged objects?
  • How does anomie theory explain deviant behavior?
  • Why would anybody think there might be life on another planet?
  • What are chemical solutions?
  • Do you know of any way to simplify the overall subject of biochemical genetics?
  • Can a loud noise really shatter glass?
  • How do magnetic fields work?
  • Did Clarence Darrow really call an animal in to testify at the famous monkey trial?
  • What role does the thyroid gland play in the human body?
  • What did Mendel discover about heredity when he was playing around with plants?
  • How many laws of motion did Newton come up with, and what are they?
  • What in the world is constructive and destructive interference?
  • How do viruses do their dirty work?
  • What do bones do, except give us a skeletal structure?
  • Do all viruses look alike?
  • My teacher keeps talking about solubility. What does that mean, anyway?
  • How do positive and negative reinforcement work?
  • How does nondisjunction relate to birth defects?
  • With all the germs in the world today, how come everybody's not sick all the time?
  • What is thermal equilibrium?
  • How are sound waves created?
  • What do taste buds look like — up-close?
  • How often does an eclipse happen?
  • What is the chemical composition of saltwater?
  • I was told to write a 15-sentence answer to this question: When in life do you learn to expect the unexpected? I don't really know of an answer. Can you help me figure it out?
  • My school is having a blood drive and I am considering donating blood. Can you tell me more about the whole process and if it is painful?
  • Where can I download music for free? And if I do, is it illegal?
  • How do I convince my parents to give me ten bucks?
  • How should I deal with being a perfectionist?
  • How do I convince my little brother and sisters to stay out of my room?
  • Can you eat a rooster?
  • Could a Tyrannosaurus rex kill King Kong?
  • How would you describe a rainbow to a person who has been blind their ENTIRE life and doesn't understand colors?
  • Will a tattoo inhibit hair growth?
  • When did gays come about?
  • I was wondering if the tilt on the earth's axis is important to animal life on earth. Could you explain?
  • What are the four types of tissue found in the human body?
  • Is there any easy" way to understand the Krebs Cycle?"
  • Why are prostaglandins sometimes called tissue hormones?
  • What is cell death? And what is the difference between apoptosis and necrosis?
  • How do I find the molar mass of the elements on the periodic table?
  • What do the symbols on the Periodic Table mean? For example, Gold-Au, Silver-Ag, Lead-Pb, Potassium-K, Tin-Sn, Iron-Fe, and Mercury-Hg, where did these symbols come from?
  • How is your mind connected to your dreams? Does this have anything to do with psychology?
  • What are the three main functions of the skeletal system?
  • What are the characteristics of a moneran, protist, and fungus?
  • Why does a placebo work? And who does it work for?
  • What are two properties of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids?
  • What is lymph? Is it part of the circulatory system in our bodies?
  • Can there be life on Mars?
  • How much of the ozone layer is left?
  • Is it possible for a marine mammal to be infected with rabies?
  • What exactly does the RNA do?
  • What is the sperm travel process?
  • What is a bacterial colony?
  • Dealing with the myth of Cinderella, written by the Grimm brothers, how could you analyze it in terms of archetypes that Carl Jung used?
  • What exactly is blood clotting and what are the processes involved?
  • What is the difference between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission?
  • Does a person have to have the same blood type as his or her brothers and sisters?
  • My teacher said that eating poisonous mushrooms can make you sick or even kill you, but that they're not the only fungus that can. What is she talking about?
  • What is the chemical equation for orange juice?
  • What kind of structures are opposable toes?
  • What is an oral groove?
  • Dogs are spayed, but humans have hysterectomies. Isn't it all the same surgery?
  • What does the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) do?
  • What is the angle formed by a horizontal line and a line of sight to a point below?
  • After I take the ASVAB, what is my obligation to the military?
  • If I choose to take the computerized version of the GRE, will I be typing or writing my analytical and issue essays?
  • Are there any MBA programs that don't require the GMAT?
  • Can you use a calculator on the GMAT? What are you allowed to take in with you to the test?
  • Should I keep taking the GMAT until I get a good score?
  • How is the ASVAB scored?
  • I canceled my GMAT score right after I took the test. Now I'm wondering if I did the right thing.
  • What is the ASVAB AFQT?
  • Where can I take the ASVAB?
  • Is it better to guess on GMAT answers or would that count against me?
  • How is my GMAT score used by grad schools?
  • Is it true that the writing assessment sections of the GMAT are graded by a computer?
  • What kinds of scores are reported on the GRE, and how long will it take for me to get my scores?
  • What do I need to bring with me to the GRE testing center?
  • How are GRE scores used?
  • How do I learn stuff for in-class exams?
  • How do I get ready for a math test?
  • Can I take a calculator to my ACT exam?
  • Do you have any tips for doing well on the AP Chemistry test?
  • What can I expect in the math part of the SAT?
  • How can I prepare for the SAT essay?
  • What is the Critical Reasoning section of the SAT like?
  • Is there a fun way to learn SAT vocabulary?
  • What books should I read for the AP English Literature exam?
  • How can I make sure I finish the AP essay question in time?
  • Since I made the soccer team, I don't feel like I have enough time to study. Do you have any study tips so I can use my time better and make sure I don't get kicked off the team for my grades?
  • I'm a huge procrastinator. How can I manage my time effectively to catch up on my assignments?
  • What kind or amount of note-taking is optimal? I get lost while making a notation and miss other parts of the lecture.
  • I study so hard for my tests that I know I know the material, but then I always panic and bomb. How can I reduce my test anxiety?
  • I do really bad on quizzes. I'm okay with tests and homework, but I do horribly on quizzes. What can I do to prepare for quizzes?
  • I've screwed up horribly this semester. I always say I'm going to change my habits, but I always end up getting lazy and doing something else. I want to succeed, but how can I get rid of my own laziness?
  • If you have any music or audio notes playing on tape, CD, or whatever and you fall asleep, is it true that you'll have whatever was played memorized by the time you wake up?
  • I have trouble understanding a book when I read. I try to read so that I can finish the book quickly but still understand what's going on. Could you give me a few tips on how to understand a book while reading at a quick pace?
  • What is the best study method when trying to cram three chapters all at once?
  • What if I have a really bad memory? When I read a page of a book, I can't go back and remember it.
  • Why do some teachers say light a peppermint candle? I mean, I don't think it helps you concentrate.
  • I really suck at taking multiple choice tests. Do you have any suggestions for not psyching myself out before a big test?
  • Is there a WRONG way to study?
  • Are the math questions on the GMAT extremely difficult and complex?
  • Does it matter whether I take the SAT or ACT in my junior year or my senior year of high school?
  • What does AP mean?
  • How can I explain to my friend what I mean when I call him tedious ?
  • Does the word privations has something to do with the government?
  • What's the difference between goulash and galoshes?
  • What exactly is a parallel structure?
  • I have a bet on this: Learnt is a real word, right?
  • Is a boor somebody who boos or somebody who bores?
  • Somebody in my drama club used the word ostentation the other day. What does that mean, anyway?
  • Define paraphrasing.
  • What's another word that means the same thing as malevolence ?
  • I find the same typo in a lot of books I read. Shouldn't connexion be connection ?
  • What do you call a word that only ever appears as a plural?
  • What s the difference between like and such as
  • Can you show an easy way to remember when to use I" or "me" in a sentence? (And please skip the technical grammar rules.)"
  • Should I say, “Can I have a banana?” or “May I have a banana?”
  • Is the proper capitalization Atlantic ocean or Atlantic Ocean ?
  • What does the word supercilious mean?
  • Is grippe something that makes you sick?
  • Does the word elucidation have something to do with drugs?
  • How would you use fervid and fervent in a sentence?
  • How can someone become a good writer?
  • How do you cite CliffsNotes in APA, MLA, and CMS styles?
  • What period in history does histrionics cover?
  • People used to die from consumption. Does that mean they ate too much?
  • Is it ever okay to start a sentence with the word but?
  • What is the longest word in the English language?
  • I'm learning English now, so I gave myself an English name — Vivi." However, an American told me that "Vivi" is not suitable for a name. There are some local reasons. So I want to know if "Vivi" really can't be used as a name."
  • When writing a paper, what do I do to the title of a book? Do I underline it or italicize it?
  • Please look at this sentence: Both Peter and John like soccer. Should it be: Both Peter and John likes soccer.
  • What are the four genders of noun?
  • What is it called when a word is the same both forward and backward?
  • Do swans really sing when they die
  • What does indignation mean?
  • What is a pundit ?
  • What is a cleft sentence
  • What is the difference between narration and first person?
  • Is it grammatically correct to say take some shots"?"
  • My teacher thinks I plagiarized an essay; what should I tell him?
  • Why do some authors use the word an before all words that start with an H? Is this form of writing correct?
  • My school newspaper claimed that I am. is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. Isn't Go. a complete sentence?
  • How did people make up the lb. abbreviation for pounds?
  • Which is correct: "if I was" or "if I were"? And why?
  • How would you use the word antecede in a sentence?
  • Could you please explain the difference between affect and effect ?
  • How do I write a good thesis statement?
  • What do people mean when they talk about information in the public domain?
  • What's the big deal about plagiarism, anyway?
  • Is there a difference between envy and jealousy ?
  • Can you define the words prostate and prostrate ?
  • What does it mean to be threadbare ?
  • Is there a difference between the words ignorant and stupid ?
  • I used the word reoccur in a paper and my teacher said it should have been recur . Can you tell me the difference?
  • What does it mean to be flabbergasted ?
  • When should I write the word lose and when should I write loose ?
  • What does ad infinitum mean? (From Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre )
  • Do loath and loathe have different meanings?
  • I got marked down on a paper for using the word irregardless . Why?
  • What does it mean to be fastidious ? (From Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo )
  • Do stationary and stationery mean the same thing?
  • How is the word among different than the word between ?
  • What is a hierarchy ?
  • What is the difference between tortuous and torturous ?
  • Can you help me understand the difference between the words censor and censure ?
  • I get farther and further confused. Can you help?
  • I can t keep principal and principle clear Can you help
  • My teacher lowered my grade on a paper because I described a scene as grizzly . I thought that was a word.
  • Are the words gamut and gauntlet interchangeable?
  • When do I write some time instead of sometime and sometimes ?
  • Can you help me figure out when to use the word lay instead of lie ?
  • Can you tell me when to use faze instead of phase ?
  • What is the difference between avenge and revenge ?
  • What is the difference between the words precede and proceed ?
  • How do I fix a run-on sentence?
  • How useful are automatic spell-checkers?
  • Is it okay to begin a sentence with and ?
  • When is it okay to use sentence fragments?
  • What is future perfect tense?
  • Is it okay to split infinitives?
  • Why do people often confuse than and then in writing?
  • When do I use commas with clauses?
  • How do I decide which type of pronoun to use when I have multiple pronouns?
  • What types of words or phrases should I avoid in my writing?
  • What is parallel structure in writing?
  • When should I use apostrophe-S?
  • What is a clause?
  • I have to write an essay, and I'm having a hard time getting started. Do you have any tips?
  • How can I make the most out of my first draft?
  • What should I avoid when writing the conclusion of a research paper?
  • Are can and may interchangeable?
  • What is passive voice?
  • What does it mean to be quixotic ?
  • What are linking verbs?
  • What does it mean to use redundant adverbs?
  • How do I organize a comparison essay?
  • How do I decide between who and whom ?
  • How do you use possessives in front of gerunds?
  • Can I end a sentence with a preposition?
  • How do I decide on the scope of my essay?
  • What are participles?
  • What's the difference between will and shall ?
  • Which adjectives can't be modified with more and most ?
  • What are indirect objects?
  • Should I use his , his or her , or their ?
  • What's the difference between farther and further ?
  • What is a storyboard?
  • What exactly is a theme of a story, and how can I recognize it?
  • Why is English class called English in school? English is a language, so I don't think it should be a class. Please help me understand.
  • What is tone exactly and how do you find it in stories?
  • Where do you start when writing a character analysis?
  • What is a dynamic character? What is a static character? How are they different?
  • What's the difference between description and narration?
  • I don't get onomatopoeias! It's as hard to spell as it is to understand!
  • What is a gothic tale?
  • What is the author's style" of a book?"
  • What is a one-word sentence called?
  • What word class would the word Novembery fit in to?
  • My instructor wrote on my paper to be careful about using passive voice. What does that mean?
  • Is it grammatically correct to say, She went missing"? What is the rule?"
  • I need information on the social roles of language. How are individuals judged based on their use of language?
  • What is the origin of the word promotion ?
  • What's a preposition?
  • What are some examples of homographic terms?
  • I have to write an essay for my AP world history class and my teacher said to use direct comparison, but I'm confused on what he means by that. Please Help!
  • I'm reading The Scarlet Letter in my Honors AP English class and my teacher wants us to do a 5 paragraph essay. What's the best way to start the introduction?
  • What are some examples of transitions that I can use in my writing assignment?
  • What does APA stand for?
  • In typing a term paper, what is the proper spacing after a period? I think I've read that one space is now acceptable.
  • What is meant by argue your own thesis?
  • How do I write an introductory paragraph and a concluding paragraph?
  • What are easy ways to identify figurative language?
  • When writing a persuasive essay, what words can take place of being verbs," such as is, are, has, be, were, and was? My teacher crossed all of those out of my paper? What words should I use to replace those?"
  • I have to write a dialogue that might take place between the speakers of The World Is Not a Pleasant Place to Be" and "Where Have You Gone." What exactly is a dialogue?"
  • What is the literary device of writing exactly as a character speaks, even if words are misspelled and the grammar is non-standard?
  • What are the types of tones/attitudes in writing?
  • What are the first-person, second-person, and third-person points of view? Which is used for formal essays?
  • What is a good sentence for the word plinth ?
  • What are footnotes and endnotes? How do I start off a title page?
  • Why can't you be rude or sarcastic in your thesis statement?
  • How do you write a paper, when the topic is yourself? How do you research that kind of thing?
  • What would a raging river be like?

If you don't already have one, get a small notebook that you use specifically for recording homework assignments and their due dates. The next time you turn in an assignment, stick around after class for a minute to have your teacher write her initials and the date next to the assignment listed in your book. If there's any question later about whether or not the assignment was turned in, you'll have a written record. The key to making this work is for you to be diligent and get a signature for every single assignment (even if you turn in something late once in a while) for at least the next few weeks.

For particularly important assignments that may have been handwritten, you might want to go one step further and make a copy of your work before you turn in the original. That way, just in case the original copy goes missing, you won't have to redo any of your work.

After several weeks, check in with your teacher to talk about how your arrangement has been going. Be sure to thank her for working with you to make this situation better and talk about whether or not you should continue to get her sign-off on your assignments.

  • Our Mission

Illustration showing disinterested students during class

Addressing Work Refusal in the Classroom

As educators grapple with the silent protest of student work refusal, research illuminates the underlying causes—and possible solutions.

In nearly every classroom, especially in middle and high school, there are a handful of students who simply refuse to do the work. They’ll listen to the assignment, maybe even nod their heads, but when the rubber hits the road, they don’t hand anything in—at best, they submit a couple of sentences instead of the essay you asked for.

“Often teachers react defensively to obstinate behavior, creating a situation where teacher and student may become locked in a power struggle or an ineffective pattern of communication,” writes special education teacher Nina Parrish . So how does an educator handle a student who simply refuses to turn in assigned work?

Teachers, it seems, are dying to know what’s behind the issue. When Edutopia asked our audience what topic they’d most want to see the research behind, “work refusal” was the top response—“Not kids who don’t understand or kids who present other behavioral challenges, just kids whose only perceptible issue is refusing to complete work (or hand in completed work),” explained Rebecca, an educator.

The research exploring work refusal, while limited, boils down to a central takeaway: Understand the underlying causes of a student’s failure to complete work, which might involve a desire for more autonomy, a fear of failure or judgment, or a sense that the assigned work is meaningless. There are no simple explanations, and some students will inevitably continue to refuse work regardless of your best efforts, but these targeted, research-backed responses can help give you a fighting chance at turning your class’ work refusers into more frequent work completers.

LOOKING UNDER THE HOOD

While it can feel tempting to throw up your hands, seeking out root causes can lead to clearer next steps. “Understanding the antecedent of work refusal leads to the development of logical intervention strategies rather than those based on assumptions or trial and error,” writes Texas State University education researcher Glenna Billingsley in a recent review of the research surrounding work refusal.

While every child is different, Billingsley’s research review points to a few key factors that often operate just below the surface of work refusal.

A DESIRE FOR AUTONOMY

Assignments and activities that students consider irrelevant or uninteresting may “trigger misbehavior that enables them to avoid these disengaging conditions,” Billingsley writes in her analysis—but adding “multiple opportunities for responding” that students can choose from, across modalities and at different skill levels, can improve engagement. Because Billingsley’s review found that work refusal was often at its highest when students were asked to “transition from a preferred task to one less enjoyable,” providing students with a range of academic tasks to choose from can help nip work refusal in the bud.

Billingsley’s analysis adds to a growing body of research suggesting that students are more engaged in their learning when given more choice and autonomy. A 2012 study , for example, found that second and third graders who were required to complete mandatory reading logs saw a marked decline in interest towards reading compared to students who voluntarily logged their reading progress. Similarly, eighth graders developed better reading habits when the curriculum allowed them to choose what they read, and in a 2010 article , researchers assert that giving students a say over disciplinary policies can “encourage a sense of well-being and comfort with the way a classroom functions,” while offering choice around assignments can “encourage initial engagement with learning activities.” 

How to address it: There are a number of ways to introduce more curricular choice at all grade levels.

Preschool teacher Oi Ling Hu has students vote for the read-aloud of the day—and even, on occasion, what activities the class will engage in. In later grades, education researcher Robert J. Marzano recommends that teachers allow students to present what they’ve learned “through debates, video reports, demonstrations, or dramatic presentations” (we’d add music, drawing, and coding, too)—not just essays or oral reports. “Choice in the classroom has been linked to increases in student effort, task performance, and subsequent learning,” Marzano writes. To help students feel like you respect their freedom of choice, you can also let students co-create their classroom norms , offer flexible seating options , or give English students a say over what books they’ll read (even at the AP level ).

A FEAR OF FAILURE

Billingsley’s research review lists “expectations and assignments that students perceive as too difficult” as another leading cause of classroom work refusal. “Students with a history of school failure may feel that the current assignment offers only another opportunity to fail,” she summarizes. On the same note, a 2018 study found that academic deficits accounted for a full 20 percent of classroom misbehavior: When students didn’t understand an assignment or found it too difficult, misbehavior was the outlet for their frustration.

.css-1ynlp5m{position:relative;width:100%;height:56px;margin-bottom:30px;content:'';} .css-2tyqqs *{display:inline-block;font-family:museoSlab-500,'Arial Narrow','Arial','Helvetica','sans-serif';font-size:24px;font-weight:500;line-height:34px;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.8px;-moz-letter-spacing:0.8px;-ms-letter-spacing:0.8px;letter-spacing:0.8px;}.css-2tyqqs *{display:inline-block;font-family:museoSlab-500,'Arial Narrow','Arial','Helvetica','sans-serif';font-size:24px;font-weight:500;line-height:34px;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.8px;-moz-letter-spacing:0.8px;-ms-letter-spacing:0.8px;letter-spacing:0.8px;} Students with a history of school failure may feel that the current assignment offers only another opportunity to fail. .css-1ycc0ui{display:inline-block !important;font-family:'canada-type-gibson','Arial','Verdana','sans-serif';font-size:14px;line-height:27px;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.8px;-moz-letter-spacing:0.8px;-ms-letter-spacing:0.8px;letter-spacing:0.8px;text-transform:uppercase;padding-top:24px;margin-bottom:0 !important;}.css-1ycc0ui::before{content:'—';margin-right:9px;color:black;font-size:inherit;} Glenna Billingsley, phd

Student concern over grades can exacerbate matters. A 2018 study found that letter grades “enhanced anxiety and avoidance of challenging courses,” while a 2019 research review suggested that students were more motivated by receiving written feedback from their teacher, or even no feedback at all , than by receiving grades.

How to address it: A 2021 study found that grades and on-task behavior were highest in classes with the highest ratio of praise to reprimands—and while it might feel unnatural to track your language so closely, researchers at Vanderbilt University recommend roughly “six praise statements every 15 minutes.” Remember to praise students for specific actions (“This essay was really well-structured!”), not inherent abilities (“You’re so smart!”), to avoid reinforcing the same kind of fixed mindset that can lead students to feel anxious about their skills in the first place. Try to find opportunities to make your praise sincere and focused around ways that students have improved—even if that improvement is just turning in an essay on time.

It’s also worthwhile to foster a more mistake-friendly classroom . Model your own mistakes, and avoid being overly punitive about errors: Consider policies like dropping each student’s lowest grade , allowing students to retake some assessments , or reducing the amount of work you actively grade. One interesting study revealed that withholding grades until several days after handing back your written feedback can boost student performance on future assignments by up to two-thirds of a letter grade.

A NEED FOR PURPOSE AND BELONGING

When a student consistently refuses to do work, “community and connection are usually the issue,” comments educator Emily Tarr on Edutopia’s thread about work refusal, and the research tends to agree.

Belonging at school—”that sense that we are part of a larger whole, that there is a kind of goodness of fit between me and my environment”—is really important socially and academically, according to the social psychologist Geoffrey Cohen . He points to a 2019 study suggesting that feelings of belonging are greater predictors of college completion than academic success.

An adjacent phenomenon—a lack of purpose—can be equally harmful. “Teachers often underestimate the importance of purpose and relevance in building motivation, and overestimate how good a job they are doing at making the purpose clear,” write education researcher Chris Hulleman and science teacher Ian Kelleher in an article for Edutopia . This shortcoming is sometimes at the root of a student’s hesitancy to work.

How to address it: There are a variety of research-backed interventions that can boost purpose and belonging. In one study , Hulleman found that having ninth grade science students write brief reflections connecting what they learned in class to their personal lives boosted their grades and made them more likely to take science courses again in the future. In class, teachers should “deliberately and regularly state the purpose of assignments and activities,” Hulleman recommends. Teachers can also connect their lessons to the real-world issues that students care about; in math class , for example, dig into issues like personal finance and sports statistics.

Teachers often underestimate the importance of purpose ... and overestimate how good a job they are doing at making the purpose clear. Chris hulleman, phd and ian kelleher, phd

To tap into students’ passions and interests, education instructor Rebecca Alber recommends sending out a survey at the start of the year that asks questions like “What is something or someone you personally would like to know more about?” or “Make a list of all the things that you don’t currently learn in school but wish you could,” then using student responses to inform your lesson planning and assessment options. (Vanderbilt University offers an example survey that teachers can adjust accordingly.) Hanging posters and incorporating learning materials that reflect the diverse interests and identities of your students signals that they’re “valued learners and belong within the classroom, with far-reaching consequences for students’ educational choices and achievement,” a 2014 study found .

THE ROLE OF TRAUMA

Finally, it’s worth considering how trauma might factor into your students’ refusal to do work. “When you feel the weight of the world bearing down on you, or you simply don’t think you can take another step without imploding or breaking down, don’t you just want to get away from it all?”, asks elementary school administrator Matthew J. Bowerman . “Imagine what children are feeling after the last several years.”

A 2011 study led by pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris found that traumatic childhood experiences are tied to a host of learning and behavioral problems, including defiant behavior, fight-or-flight responses, difficulty focusing, and impulse control issues.

How to address it: “It’s unfair to ask teachers to be therapists or doctors,” Harris told Edutopia in 2020 , but teachers can “deliver that daily dose of buffering care that’s so important for healing.”

Many traumatized students blame themselves for their academic shortcomings, Harris says, so teachers can help kids understand “that what’s going on in their bodies is actually a normal response to the abnormal circumstance that they find themselves in.” Then, teaching SEL skills—like calming oneself through simple breathing exercises, bringing oneself to focus, and bonding with others—can help get kids back on track. At Fall-Hamilton Elementary in Nashville , for example, every classroom has a designated peace corner with a comfortable chair and soothing toys where students can go when they need to self-regulate. Students who need extra social and emotional support are paired off with an adult (who isn’t their teacher) for two-minute check-ins at the start and end of each day, where they can discuss their goals and what they’re struggling with.

WHAT’S YOUR EXPERIENCE?

Do you have any insights about how to deal with work refusers? What have you tried—what worked, and what didn’t? Let readers know in the comments.

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How to Excuse Yourself from Unfinished Homework

Last Updated: December 13, 2023

This article was co-authored by Alicia Oglesby . Alicia Oglesby is a Professional School Counselor and the Director of School and College Counseling at Bishop McNamara High School outside of Washington DC. With over ten years of experience in counseling, Alicia specializes in academic advising, social-emotional skills, and career counseling. Alicia holds a BS in Psychology from Howard University and a Master’s in Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology from Chestnut Hill College. She also studied Race and Mental Health at Virginia Tech. Alicia holds Professional School Counseling Certifications in both Washington DC and Pennsylvania. She has created a college counseling program in its entirety and developed five programs focused on application workshops, parent information workshops, essay writing collaborative, peer-reviewed application activities, and financial aid literacy events. This article has been viewed 889,662 times.

Ideally, you will always be ready for class and have your homework completed. Sometimes, however, life gets in the way and you aren’t prepared. There are several methods for developing an excuse to give your teacher for why you don’t have your homework ready, ranging from honest to deceptive.

Inventing an Elaborate Excuse

Step 1 Make invented excuses sound as plausible as possible.

  • Crumple and tear a paper assignment. Then you can tell the teacher that it flew out the window and got run over or trampled on.
  • Smear dirt and water on your assignment and claim it fell in a puddle. Make sure to write a few words (bonus points if it relates to the homework assignment) so that it looks believable.
  • Spill something dark (like juice or ink) on the assignment so that it is illegible.

Step 3 Make an excuse based on technological malfunctions.

  • For instance, if you have to save work to a USB drive, you can claim to have a problem with the file.
  • If you are asked to email or otherwise electronically send a homework file, you can “accidentally” send a different assignment, or the “wrong” draft (which could have just your name and the first part of the assignment, for instance). You might even be able to purchase corrupted files.
  • Be aware that your teachers can be tech-savvy and know all of these tricks, so you might have to get creative. [2] X Research source

Step 4 Try a less inventive excuses that might still work, like:

Buying Time and Stretching the Truth

Step 1 Make it seem like you did the work on time, even if you didn't.

  • If the missed homework is for a class late in the day, you might be able to do the work before school, during another class, or during lunch or a break.
  • You can hand in the wrong assignment—such as one from another class—or an old one from the same class. By the time your teacher notices the mistake, you will be able to complete the real homework, or just turn it in the next day and say you are sorry about the mix-up.
  • Copy answers from a friend so you have something to turn in. Make sure your friend is ok with helping. This also only works for assignments where it is expected that students will have the same or similar answers. In some schools, even copying something like homework can merit a suspension. Remember to evaluate the situation and make a good decision as to whether or not you will copy homework off of a peer.

Step 2 Claim to be sick.

  • A dangerous move, you can forge a note from a parent explaining why you couldn't do your homework.
  • If you decide to forge one, be warned that your teacher might know it’s a fake. If you are caught, you face punishment from both your parents and teacher.

Telling the Truth

Step 1 Try being honest.

  • You might say something like "I am really sorry, but I got behind on things and wasn't able to finish my homework. Could I be excused just this once? I'll turn it in tomorrow and I won't be late again."
  • Keep things simple and direct, rather than annoying your teacher with long, rambling excuses.

Step 2 Take responsibility for your lack of preparation.

  • This means saying something like: "I know there's no excuse, and I accept full responsibility. I should have done my work. I'm sorry that I'm not prepared, and it won't happen again."
  • Doing so will display maturity and your teacher might respect your honesty.

Step 3 Think of legitimate reasons why you could not do the work.

  • Perhaps you are overworked and stressed (this is especially persuasive at exam time).
  • If circumstances beyond your control, like an illness or death in the family, have prevented you from doing your work, say so.
  • You can also explain that you didn’t understand the assignment, or struggled with it, or felt rushed, and needed to give it more time.

Step 4 Remember that your teacher is busy, too.

  • Your teacher is more likely to accept the excuse if you don’t spring it on him or her at the last minute.
  • You might also be able to ask for an extension so that you can turn the homework in later.
  • Know your teacher’s personality, and how flexible and forgiving he or she is. When you talk to your teacher, look sad, serious, agitated, etc. depending on your excuse.

Community Q&A

Community Answer

  • The best approach is to try to do your work on time rather than be tempted by an excuse. Don’t attempt to make excuses too often. This way, when you actually need to use one, your teacher is more likely to accept it. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
  • Turn in your work, even if you have to make an excuse and submit it late. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1
  • If you are able to do any of your homework, even a small amount or poor quality work, consider turning it in anyway. Having something prepared can be better than having nothing, and sometimes teachers will give you partial credit for partial work. You can also explain to your teacher that you would like to do a better job and turn it in later, if you want. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1

my teacher lost my assignment

  • Be prepared to face the consequences if you get caught for using a deceptive excuse. Talk to your teacher in a mature way, explaining that you have a problem with procrastination, or feel overworked, or struggled with the assignment, etc. Thanks Helpful 50 Not Helpful 7
  • Try not to lie, a bad conscious can easily come from repetitive lying. Thanks Helpful 40 Not Helpful 10
  • If you get caught lying, it may lead to severe consequences with your teacher and parent/guardian. Thanks Helpful 21 Not Helpful 7

You Might Also Like

Cheat on Homework

  • ↑ https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/08/30/british-lecturer-compiles-best-student-excuses
  • ↑ https://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/the-computer-ate-my-homework-how-to-detect-fake-techno-excuses-2/7207

About This Article

Alicia Oglesby

To excuse yourself from unfinished homework, try to make your excuse as believable as possible, like saying you were sick last night. If your homework was on a computer, claim your laptop crashed or your files were corrupted. Another thing you can try is handing in an old assignment. Then, do your actual homework before your teacher realizes. When they ask you about it, say that you accidentally handed in the wrong homework, and then give them the homework that was actually due. Even if you think you have a good excuse, your teacher’s probably heard it a dozen times before, so consider being honest with them and apologizing for falling behind. For example, say, “I’m sorry, but I wasn’t able to finish my homework this week. I had a lot of things to deal with. Is it okay if I turn it in tomorrow?” If you decide to be honest, try to tell your teacher at the beginning of class or even earlier in the day, which will make your excuse more realistic. For more tips, including how to pretend you lost your homework, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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4 strategies to get those missing assignments turned in

Student doing homework assignment

Published: May 13, 2022

As we get closer and closer to the end of the school year, it happens as reliably as the changing of the seasons—students notice the late, missing, or forgotten assignments that might have a real impact on their grade.

Sound familiar?

Most teachers spend too much valuable time toward the end of the school year reminding students about their missing assignments. This process doesn’t have to be time-consuming or painful though.

Here are 3 simple and repeatable tips to help classroom teachers encourage students to—finally—submit those late, missing, or forgotten assignments.

1. Help students manage their own assignment completion

There’s no better way to promote accountability than to help students to keep track of and manage their own assignments list. LMS tools like Schoology or Google Classroom make the process easier than ever before.

With clear assignment instructions and due dates, every student can log into their LMS and see a clean list of which assignments have been turned in, and which are still outstanding—even if they miss a class!

2. Get parents, families, and caregivers on board to help keep students on track

One of the best ways to keep students from getting too far behind is to recruit the champions they have outside school. When parents and guardians are kept in the loop about the assignments that are upcoming—along with expectations and due dates—they can help students avoid missing assignments well before the due date.

Keeping parents and guardians aware when assignments become late or get entered as missing increases the likelihood that assignment will get completed too. The Parent/Guardian Portal in Schoolytics gives parents and guardians easy access to student assignments in each of their classes. There are even reminders you can automate when an assignment is late or counted missing.

my teacher lost my assignment

3. Send automated reminders when assignments are past due

You know what they say about an ounce of prevention…

Setting up a Schoolytics account and syncing it with your Google Classroom ( remember: it’s free to sign up! ) lets teachers set up an automated report of late or missing assignments. You never have to click into each Classroom for assignment details!

The Late Work Report in Schoolytics shows all assignments from all students across your active classrooms in Google Classroom that were turned in after the due date

You can even set up automatic reports for late or missing assignments—Friday late work roundup anyone? And now you can send a bulk reminder to every student with a link to their missing work.

Bulk Email Missing Assignments

4. Try a new communication method

Each generation of students is more online than the last, and Gen Z is spending most of its time on video-forward platforms like YouTube and TikTok. As teachers, we can either fight this reality or lean into it in our communication with students.

The good news is that the rise of online video has coincided with the advent of easy-to-use video creation tools, making it easier than ever to create engaging videos for free. Tools like Veed are great for trimming videos and testing your webcam to ensure you get the perfect take to keep students engaged and on top of their assignments.

In conclusion...

These interventions make it quick and simple to keep students on track for assignment completion. And they reduce the headache for teachers to have to manage chasing down late or missing assignments.

Have any other tips for helping keep late and missing assignments under control? Let us know on Twitter at @Schoolytics

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Professor not Grading Assignments on time? Here’s what to do

Professor not Grading Assignments on time? Here’s what to do

professor not grading assignments

professor not grading assignments

Grading assignment is an important aspect that helps, which offers relevant feedback on students’ performance. Furthermore, it allows the student to reflect on what they had been doing in class.

In addition, it provides one with another learning opportunity as you will know if you are excelling in what you are doing or not. So, what if the professor fails to grade your assignments? Well, that is what we want to explore in this write. Read on.

my teacher lost my assignment

If your professor is not grading assignments on time, you either need to be patient and wait or contact him or her in a formal but friendly manner.

This is because it may be because of valid reasons that are beyond his or her control. This happens because of outsourced grading, overload of marking papers, and handling many classes at the same time.

Why Professors get Late to Grade Assignments?

Several reasons explain why a professor can get late to grade your assignment. Some professes may delay grading due to the following reasons:

1. Outsourced Grading

ungraded assignment

Some professors handle a large class hence seeking a helping hand in grading the written assignments.

These professor sets up a grading scale to determine the grade that one will get.

For that reason, the professor may hire a set of graduate students to assist in grading the assignment. If the graders are slow, it may cause the process to delay your results.

2. Grading Not a Priority

When a professor has much to handle like sitting on various committees or doing research. Grading may not be the first priority. Also, such a professor may have another life to handle outside the academic life.

Even so, when they get overwhelmed by work, they may begin to procrastinate hence delaying grading. However, the professor should meet the deadline in grading as per the university policy which may differ in various institutions.

3. When all you want is Grade

The professor knows that some students are only interested in grades without knowing the feedback. They also know that few students value feedback. In the process, they may withhold grades and let students understand the feedback plus, to try and know where they should improve. Such actions make the grading to delay.

4. It is Time-Consuming

tight schedules delay grading

The professor requires adequate time to look at the essay assignments before grading.

When the professor is doing it keenly and strictly, it may delay the grading process.

Moreover, it is not possible to begin to grade any work unless the process is through with marking.

That is true because it will be unfair if you grade others while leaving the rest until you finish marking their papers.

5. It is Objective

It is not a walk in the park to grade essay papers. Sometimes the lecturer has to go through more than 80 essays falling under the same topic which is time-consuming to check each detail. It takes keenness for a professor to distinguish pone how has excellent knowledge in the course.

Such a professor may not have to go through all the essays but asses the critical points during grading. That also eats time since the same professor must attend to other issues.  The professor can seek help from other professors to assist in grading so that students get their results on time.

People Also Read : Is Professor Capitalized? Assistant or Associate; APA or MLA

What happens if a Professor doesn’t Submit Grades on Time?

When the professor fails to submit grades on time, he should ensure that it is before the registrar’s deadline.

When students do not have their grades on time, they may fail to know their areas of strength and weakness in the course. Such leads to confusion among students which could lead to friction among the professor and students.

Tips to Speed your Teacher to Grade

You can make arrangements with your teacher to ensure you get your grades on time. The following tips will offer you a great advantage to help you get your grades within the acceptable timeframe:

1. Ask the Teacher to limit the Length of the Assignments

running against time

Students can liaise with their professor and request to get reduced essay assignments that will be easy for the professor to mark and grade faster.

If it is a 20 paged essay and they happen to be more in class, it means that the instructor needs enough time to go through it before he begins to grade.

Students should have better tactics in knowing what to say in a few words.

Doing so will lighten the grading load to the professor and allow students to access their grades within a shorter period.

2. Students to Select a Response for Grading

Students may have an assignment where they have been practicing the same skill severally. You can agree with the professor that before submitting the assignment, they can circle the paragraph where they believe it has their best skills and knowledge.

The lecture should grade only the circled paragraph only. Students will be at peace to know the professor will only assess the circled paragraph since it represents their abilities.

The move makes matter easier for the professor to complete marking and assign grades to students within a short duration.

3. Conference with the Lecturer

You should allow students to have a conference with you while using a timer to allocate equal time. In this conference, you can give feedback by pointing out where you think one did not perform well.

Such a strategy puts a responsibility on them to know what to do to improve on what the professor pointed out. The lecture should mark every error and complete the exercise as he clears the conscious with students.

Since some students want instructors to do the thinking for them, they will find direction. After that exercise, there should be an immediate grading.

You can read on how to write a letter to your professor so that you can know how to request a meeting.

4. Use Google Docs

using Google docs to grade

Grading on the computer can make students to know the feedback immediately.

Google doc has amazing features to grade your work automatically.

You can set a grading scale which the system will use to assign grades to you after you activate it.

This approach may not work for a professor who is a social media addict since he has to respond to various issues on various platforms hence which could be a distraction hence leading to some delays.

The secrete lies in limiting the distraction and concentrating on marking the assignment via the Google platform. Reducing destruction maximizes productivity and translates into smoother grading.

People Also Read : Good Titles for Essays about yourself: 31 Personal Essay Topics

FAQs on Professor Grading failures

Do teachers grade on the weekend.

Teachers do not grade on weekends because they are rest days in most educational institutions. However, some teachers use weekends to mark questions, especially when the workload is too much to be completed in normal working days and hours.

Teachers’ weekends may not be different from other professions in the labor market. However, they must plan on how they intend to approach the preceding week. One of the things a teacher could do is to spend time with the family and participate in other communal work. More importantly, to also grade the work.

Should teachers have deadlines?

Yes, deadlines are very important to enforce discipline about how one should work. There should be a good place that specifies what action one should face when working outside the deadlines.

It is a very important approach to ensure that students get their grades within the right time and know which steps to follow after knowing their performance.

How long does it take for professors to post grades?

It takes between one and two weeks for a professor to grade and post grades. However, this time depends on how fast he will assess your assignment. However, the professor should stay within the schedule before meeting the registrar’s deadlines. For instance, a professor can meet begin to grade after going through all the assignments and validating their value.

How long does it take to grade a paper?

It can take around 7 to 10 days for a professor to grade your assignments depending on the number of students. If you have few papers, it can only take you a few hours before you complete them. Suppose you are handling bulky work, then it means the grading process will be a bit longer.

Grading a paper is not hard as long as you have a grading scale. The only thing that could be changeful is to begin to grade the work when you are not yet through with marking.

Josh Jasen

When not handling complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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Has your teacher ever lost one of your assignments or a test?

<p>My teacher lost two of my tests from a month ago, and only just informed me. It’s now too late to retake them. So now I have two big fat zeros in the grade book, and a B-. Not sure how this happened, since I turned it into the exact same pile as other students who took the test, at the exact same time. And they all have their tests graded. </p>

<p>Happy New Years. I want to die.</p>

<p>That’s horrible! Ask her one more time nicely, and then go talk to your guidance counselor? Ask around and see if anyone has had this problem with this particular teacher before…</p>

<p>Wow, that’s horrid! When my teacher lost my test, he felt so bad that he gave me a 100. You need to get that changed, it’s not fair that your teacher was disorganized…</p>

<p>This has happened to me so many times. Usually they either find it, make you redo it, or trust you and give you a hundred.</p>

<p>Wow, that’s not fair. If the teacher lost the tests, no reason to make you pay the price. Definitely try and stop that.</p>

<p>It’s happened before. I have had a few forgetful teachers who either lost the whole class’s tests, or lost mine if it was taken at a different time than the others (e.g., make-up tests). They’ve always been recovered.</p>

<p>Happened on two of my homework assignments. Got a zero on both of them in seventh grade =(</p>

<p>Call your principle! One time my teacher lost my assignment, called me at 8am the first day of winter break to inform me that he didn’t have it, so I go into school and find it right where it should be with all the other students’ assignments! ***!</p>

<p>This is silly. Of course you don’t get a zero. Go to your GC and or principal.</p>

<p>My 8th grade math teacher once lost a huge assignment of mine, leading to the only B+ on my otherwise spotless transcript <sigh></sigh></p>

<p>Last marking period one of my teachers lost a test of mine and instead just gave me a 100 haha. She basically said, whatever, you most likely got that anyway.</p>

<p>It’s happened many times, and I usually settle it by immediate confrontation and if not I go extreme and get my mom to come to school - and my mom is vicious.</p>

<p>If you were marked as present during those two days, then it pretty clear that you would’ve taken the tests. The teacher can’t say it’s too late if they lost them.</p>

<p>That’s a huge **** move, talk to the teacher, or if that doesn’t work, go to the principel.</p>

<p>Yeah, but I think she must have found it because there’s a grade on it now.</p>

<p>My biology teacher lost someone’s final last year. I don’t be remember exactly what my teacher did about it, but I remember it being somewhat reasonable…like the giving him/her (I don’t even remember who it was lol) the same grade as his/her highest test score…or something like that.</p>

<p>My Religion teacher lost my test last year. She blamed me for the longest time and even wanted me to retake it. Then I found the folder she kept the tests in and saw it in there…she said when she dumped them out it must have gotten stuck. /omg</p>

<p>This is why I think Religion classes are a waste of time. :(</p>

<p>This sums up my Psychology teacher. Three assignments this year for me in addition to a bunch for others in the class.</p>

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Should students be forced to share personal loss on a poster.

Care and Feeding is Slate’s parenting advice column. In addition to our traditional advice, every Thursday we feature an assortment of teachers from across the country answering your education questions. Have a question for our teachers? Email [email protected] or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group .

This week’s Ask a Teacher panel: Carrie Bauer , middle and high school, New York Amy Scott, eighth grade, North Carolina Brandon Hersey, second grade, Washington Cassy Sarnell, preschool special education, New York

My daughter is a freshman in high school, and she recently got an assignment in life sciences that seems inappropriate. I’m wondering whether I should intervene with the teacher or leave it alone. The assignment is for the kids to identify someone in their family who died of cancer, and then students are supposed to research that kind of cancer. They’re supposed to create a poster presentation to display for the entire school.

The teacher also told them that the assignment requires them to use the story of their relative’s death as the “attention-grabbing” part of the poster and presentation. This means sharing details of how cancer affected their relative and how the person died. The goals of the project are to learn about cancer and to advocate for more research funding to fight cancer.

It seems inappropriate to me to ask kids to share memories (some very recent) of their relatives’ deaths with the entire school, and to grade them on how well they do it. My daughter told the teacher she thought this wasn’t a great assignment, especially since two classmates lost a close relative to cancer earlier in the school year and are still grieving. The teacher’s response was to tell the kids that the best way to do the assignment was to use a relative’s story but that she would permit the kids to use a celebrity’s story if they didn’t want to use a personal story. Given that my child has already attempted to resolve this herself, I’m wondering if I should step in or if my sense that this is inappropriate is off-base. Thanks.

—Wanting Some Boundaries

Dear Wanting,

Oh, LORD! I gasped aloud! The goals of this project are reasonable enough (although “learn about cancer” is such a broad objective that even a student teacher could see it needs refinement), but the execution is absurdly tone-deaf at best and cruel at worst. I guess I can sympathize with what I surmise is the teacher’s desire to make her curriculum feel visceral and relevant, but “Building Engagement by Retraumatizing Grieving Adolescents” is not a professional development workshop anyone is going to deliver on staff development day.

Normally, I’d advise you to start with the teacher, but as you said, your daughter has already advocated to the teacher once. My prediction is that going to her again won’t yield much of a result—I think she’ll likely say she has already accommodated the concern by offering the celebrity alternative. Technically, that’s true, but in my opinion, it’s not a great workaround when the overall project has such clear potential to be hurtful. In this case, I might start by emailing the guidance counselor and cc-ing the principal. If your daughter has a copy of the directions for the project, I’d quote the language directly from that, then spell out your concerns as clearly and neutrally as you have here. I wouldn’t frame the issue around the two classmates who have suffered a loss; because you aren’t their parent, it’s a bit of an overstep to advocate on their behalf. You can just as compellingly express that the general task seems insensitive and ill-considered. I certainly hope they’ll press the teacher to adjust the assignment. (Also, I have so many lingering questions! Has the teacher ever assigned this project before? If so, how is it possible that no one has complained previously?! Please feel free to write back and give me the full run-down and an update!) Good luck.

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My kiddo is a very bright third grader who loves to read. If the book involves unicorns or rainbows, she will not stop talking! Getting her to put those ideas in writing is a different struggle, however. It often results in tears, tantrums, and, yesterday, torn assignment pages. I’ve thought about asking my child’s teacher for strategies to encourage her to put her thoughts together coherently. What do you think of that? Is there anything else I could do at home to help reinforce the concepts of, say, expository writing and narrative writing? I don’t need her to be doing five-paragraph essays or anything, but I do want to help coach her through these tantrums.

—Turn a Reader Into a Writer?

Dear TRIW ,

Your letter is music to an English teacher’s ears! Any time I hear a student loves to read, I bloom.

Frankly, I don’t think you should worry too much about the other part right now. Generating ideas is a huge part of writing, and from what you’ve said, she’s got that part down. While it’s true that many third graders can physically write stories, letters, and reports, for others it takes longer, and the best thing you can do is not push too hard .

Let me draw a parallel. I’m a member of several online parent groups, and at least once a week, a parent will post: How should I potty-train my 20-month-old? The seasoned parents will reply, practically in chorus: don’t. Wait until the kid is ready. Because the fact is, while some 2-year-olds will want to use the toilet that early, many just can’t do it at that age. And while you can train some who don’t want to, it’ll probably involve tears from both parties.

I’m not saying your daughter can’t do it, but it doesn’t seem like she wants to right now. The worst thing that could happen is that your daughter could decide now that she “doesn’t like writing” or she’s “bad at writing.” So let her do what she’s comfortable doing, what she likes, what she’s good at. If that’s talking, let her talk. Help her develop her ideas by asking clarifying questions. Restate what she says in a more organized way: “Let me see if I understand. You’re saying … ” Praise her creativity or whatever part of idea generation she is doing well.

One question: Does she give you any indication that the physical part of writing is a chore? Some kids at that age still have fine motor challenges, which can manifest as resistance to writing. If that’s the case, there are a few things you can do. First, she could try dictation software. Second, you could ask to scribe for her (then let her reread and edit the piece). Last, see if she’s ready to learn to type. There are a bunch of online typing programs that kids love.

And to answer your question, yes, definitely consult with her teacher. They will know your daughter as a reader, a writer, and a whole person, so their feedback will be the most valuable.

My son is in his first year of kindergarten. While his year has generally been fine, I’ve been disappointed with the setup of his class. He has two teachers who job-share the single position (i.e., one works Monday and Wednesday and Friday, while the other is in class on Tuesday and Thursday), and from what I see, this setup hasn’t provided the consistency and stability needed by kindergartners starting out in school. In particular, it seems like it has contributed to some ongoing behavioral problems in the classroom. Moreover, the class is very boy-heavy (something like 75 percent of the students are boys), which I assume further complicated this classroom setup.

I want to contact the principal regarding my dissatisfaction, but I’m not sure if this is appropriate on my part. I don’t necessarily have an issue with job-sharing in general, but I think it should be restricted to older students who are already accustomed to the social and behavioral demands of school. Is this worth contacting the principal over, even though my son made it through relatively unscathed, or do I leave that to parents of classmates with more significant problems? I’m certain he would have had a better year with a more consistent environment, like his older sister had when she was in kindergarten.

—Not Usually a Complainer

Dear Not Usually a Complainer,

I generally give the advice to parents that you shouldn’t complain to principals (because they should talk to their teachers first), but I think this circumstance is rather unique. I’ve never been to a school where kindergarten teachers job-shared for exactly the reasons you mention. It creates inconsistency at an age when kids thrive off consistency and familiarity. It seems like a strange policy to me, not to mention bad for the teachers. Furthermore, you’re not complaining in a school district where job-sharing in kindergarten has been the norm, since the older sister had a more consistent environment.

There’s nothing the school can do about the gender ratio, unfortunately, but you can certainly mention to an administrator that you have concerns. I wouldn’t storm the principal’s office, guns blazing, and start demanding a single kindergarten teacher, but if the principal is someone you know, and you happen to see them at a school event, I don’t see the harm in mentioning this to them. As with all situations where you’re telling someone you would like them to do their job differently, a big part about whether you should say anything is in how you say it. Like you said, your son is relatively unscathed, and there are parents with worse problems. But if the principal asks, “How was this year for your son?” there’s nothing wrong with responding, “It was OK, but I think having one consistent teacher, like his sister did, would have made XYZ easier.”

It’s entirely possible that the school was trialing the job-sharing and secretly hoping for feedback from the parents on how well it went. It’s also entirely possible they’re trying job-sharing out for budget reasons. (Hiring a bunch of people part time is cheaper than hiring a few people full time—a workaround that I don’t like because it tends to take advantage of teachers.) Whatever the case, the school administration should probably be informed if it isn’t working well, and as long as you present it as feedback rather than as a demand or complaint, I think it’s fine to speak up and advocate for your son and any kiddos whose parents aren’t able to do so.

—Ms. Sarnell

My family and I are American expats in an Anglophone country, and our daughter is almost 3. It’s really hard to find good preschools where we are, and my daughter has ended up in a bilingual class at the German international school. We love it and she loves it, so all is great currently.

The challenge comes in planning for the future. I have the sort of job where we have to move every few years, and we expect our next move to be when my daughter is 6. I have no idea where we’ll end up going and won’t know for several years.

The American International School here starts at 4 years old, and we were initially planning to move her over there then, as the German school doesn’t start really focusing on academics until about 7 years old. We also figure that she’ll move to an American or British school when we move (and she’s 6), so the American International School would help keep her from being behind her peers when that move happens.

But now the German school is asking if we want to put her in the full German class starting next term, or if we want to keep her in the bilingual program. I am a big believer in the benefits of knowing other languages. My daughter has this great opportunity to master German, but she probably won’t have much chance to use German past the age of 6.

Do we keep her in the bilingual program and then switch her to the American school at 4? Put her in the full German class and keep her there until she’s 6, when we’ll move again? Put her in the bilingual class but keep her at the school ’til she’s 6? Put her in the full German class but move her to the American school when she’s 4?

Or am I overthinking this and any option will be fine since she’s so young and a quick learner?

— Deutsch Lernen Oder Nicht ?

Hey there, Deutsch!

What an amazing opportunity for your daughter and family! I don’t think you’re overthinking it. Decisions like these can be tricky, and approaching them thoughtfully is important. Kids at this age are quite resilient, so let me start by saying that I believe whatever you choose will benefit your daughter greatly.

That said, my recommendation is that you place her in the full German class next term and consider moving her when she’s 4. At your daughter’s age, school is less about teaching content and more about learning skills. Placing your daughter in a linguistically challenging learning environment, even if the content isn’t academically rigorous, will give her skills like problem-solving, reasoning, and making connections. These skills will serve her well during any transition your family makes. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that most American children don’t begin school ’til age 5, so I wouldn’t worry much about her falling behind her peers.

After one year in the full German class, you’ll be able to see how she likes it, and reassess. If she really enjoys it, you could consider keeping her there ’til your move, and if not, the American school will still be there. I hope this helps. Viel Glück !

—Mr. Hersey

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The 10 Most Common Homework Excuses Teacher's Receive (And How to Come up with Better Ones)

  • Trent Lorcher
  • Categories : Study & learning tips for parents &amp; students
  • Tags : Homework help & study guides

The 10 Most Common Homework Excuses Teacher's Receive (And How to Come up with Better Ones)

You might wonder why a teacher would want to help you with “I forgot my homework” excuses. It’s simple. I’m tired of hearing the same excuses every time I collect an assignment. I want you to be more creative. The top homework excuses of the past no longer give me the thrill of detective work like they used to. I’ve already figured out a way to shoot them down, to humiliate you, and make you feel silly. I feel like General Zaroff must have felt in “The Most Dangerous Game.” I need a new challenge, so here’s a list of top homework excuses, why you should never use them, and subtle changes you can make to be more effective.

10 Most Common Excuses & How to Improve Them

  • I forgot my homework : That’s weak! You can do better than “I forgot my homework,” Can’t you? Even if you did forget your homework, come up with something more creative than this. Here’s a little trick: “I forgot my homework, but my mom said she’ll bring it in during lunch/after school.” This will buy you a few hours. Do the assignment during lunch and bring it in after school.
  • My printer doesn’t work : Come on! Did your printer work last week? Did it work the day before yesterday? Or did it mysteriously stop working right when you were about to print out your assignment? There are millions of functioning printers in the world. There are probably several at your school, including one in your teacher’s classroom. They’re not going to buy this. Try this one instead: “My printer ran out of ink last night. Can I e-mail it to you when I get home?” This will buy you some time and your teacher isn’t going to check too closely. Just have it e-mailed before 5:00 and you’re safe.
  • I didn’t know it was due today : Are you serious? It’s been on the board for a week-and-a-half. It’s been mentioned every day at the start of class. It’s on the class website. The other 36 kids in the class knew it was due today. Don’t ever try this one. Even if you didn’t know it was due, you should have.
  • I lost it: Try using that one with the power company. Try “my backpack was stolen” or “I left my binder on the bus.”
  • I was absent: Yea, you were sick 5 days ago when I assigned it, but you’ve been here every day since. Didn’t it occur to you that you needed to find out what you missed before it was due. Try “I was really sick last night and was unable to finish it. If you want, I can bring a note from my Mom.”
  • Start crying : This is actually really effective if you’re a girl. If you’re not a girl, don’t try this, nor should you try its sister excuse: “it’s that time of the month.”
  • I cleaned out my notebook and threw it away : Maybe you should clean out your head before using this classic. Nobody believes you threw anything out of your notebook because it’s exploding with papers. Use the “I got my notebook stolen” instead.
  • I didn’t do it : Some teachers may give you some points for honesty, but they already know you didn’t do it.
  • I had a game last night : Most teachers will give you the “so, you think ___________ (name of sport) is more important than _______ (name of class)?” response. If you’re teacher is a huge sports fan and if your team won and if you played an integral role in the victory, you may get a break.
  • I never got the homework: The 38 other students in class all got the assignment and began working on it immediately, but you neither got the assignment nor bothered to ask what the rest of the class was doing?

As you can see, teachers have wised up to your antics. No longer are the traditional excuses gonna cut it. It’s time to evolve into the next generation and challenge your teacher to keep up with your creative homework dodging.

This post is part of the series: Homework Excuses

Find the best, the worst, the most popular, and the funniest homework excuses with just a few clicks of the mouse.

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Simplestic

Missing Assignment Email to Teacher: 25 Example Emails

Want to reach out with a Missing Assignment Email Template to your Teacher? Here are some professional email templates:

Start with “Dear Teacher” or “Dear Mr/Ms[name]” Then proceed with

1 |I am writing this email to inform you that I forgot to submit my assignment. It was due today, but I didn’t have time to finish it in time. I apologize and I hope you understand.

2| I am very sorry to report that I have not completed my homework yet. I did not have time after school today and would like to do it now. I am sorry for submitting it late.

3 | I apologize for my late submission today. My little brother was sick yesterday and needed to go to the doctor, so I stayed home with him. Thank you!

4| I apologize for not submitting my missing assignment to you. I was facing some issues with the assignment and hence could not submit it to you. I am very sorry for this mistake, but I hope you can understand that it was beyond my control.

5|I am sorry for not submitting my assignment. I have been feeling unwell and didn’t have time to finish it. I should have it completed by tomorrow morning. Thank you for your time and patience in this matter.

6|I did not submit my assignment on time because I forgot about it. However, I have done it now, and you can find it attached below. Please accept my apologies for taking so long to get it to you.

7|I am sorry for not submitting my assignment. I know that this is unfair since it is due on Monday, and I would like to apologize to you. I am extremely sorry for the delay and hope you can give me some time to finish it.

8|I’m sorry for the delay in submitting my assignment. I have been busy and have had trouble finding free time to complete the assignment. I plan on getting it done next week and resubmitting it.

9|I’m sorry I have not completed the assignment, I will do it immediately.

10|I am sorry, but I will try to submit it as soon as possible.

11|I’m sorry I didn’t submit my assignment. I was busy with other things but I will submit it asap. Thank you for understanding.

12|Sorry for not submitting my assignment. Here is a corrected version of the missing assignment, along with an explanation of the situation that caused me to miss the deadline.

13|I am writing this email to inform you that I forgot to submit my assignment. It was due today, but I didn’t have time to finish it in time. I am sorry for the inconvenience and I hope that it will not affect my grade.

14|I apologize for not submitting my assignment to you. I must have missed the email announcement. I will be more careful next time. I apologize for being so careless in the future please forgive me.

15|I’m sorry for not submitting my homework. It was a mistake on my part and I apologize. Thank you for being understanding.

16|I apologize for not submitting this assignment.

17|I just realized that I missed the assignment. I am very sorry and have it submitted by tomorrow.

18| Dear teacher, I just realized that I missed the assignment. I am very sorry and have it submitted by tomorrow.

19| I am sorry I have not submitted my assignment, this is my first time having an email sent to you, hopefully, it is better next time. Yours sincerely,

20| I am so sorry for not submitting my assignment which is due on 2024. I did not have time to do it as I did not know where to start and therefore was not able to complete it on time.

21|I am sorry to report that I have not completed my assignment. While I am fully aware of the importance of completing my work and contributing to the class as a whole, extenuating circumstances beyond my control have prevented me from getting started. Please accept my apologies and know that I will make every effort to correct this situation while maintaining a high level of performance in all other aspects of your class.

22|I’m sorry for the delay in submitting my assignment. I apologize and will ensure this does not happen in the future.

23|I apologize for not submitting the assignment. It was an oversight on my part and I will double-check to make sure it is submitted tomorrow.

24| I am sorry for not submitting my assignment on time. It has been a busy week at school and I hope you can forgive me for this mishap. I will make sure to submit it immediately.

25| I would like to express my sincere apologies for not submitting my assignment on time. I understand that this is unacceptable. I sincerely apologize for the delay.

Close off your email with something like:

  • Thank you for your consideration,
  • Many thanks,
  • Best regards,
  • Thank you for understanding.

For more missing assignment emails addressed to a Professor Missing Assignment Email Template (Opens in a new browser tab)

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  1. Oliver pt. 9 The teacher lost my homework rap

  2. This is literally how my teacher be acting like

COMMENTS

  1. What to do if a teacher loses your work?

    At my son's school I was warned about a particular teacher who "loses" assignments. A lot of homework is done on line so my son saved a file of his work. If it was a worksheet he photocopied it. This was last year and something was lost once and my son could immediately send the work again.

  2. What do you do when a teacher loses your assignments?

    Usually, when they lose your assignments, they will tell you so and count it out of your grade. Your parents need to come in for a meeting with your teachers and personally tell them to get their shit together and that they should not count any assignments they will admit to losing. The teachers have admitted to me that they cannot find my ...

  3. How do I work out a problem with a teacher who loses the assignments I

    The next time you turn in an assignment, stick around after class for a minute to have your teacher write her initials and the date next to the assignment listed in your book. If there's any question later about whether or not the assignment was turned in, you'll have a written record.

  4. Addressing Work Refusal in the Classroom

    In class, teachers should "deliberately and regularly state the purpose of assignments and activities," Hulleman recommends. Teachers can also connect their lessons to the real-world issues that students care about; in math class, for example, dig into issues like personal finance and sports statistics.

  5. How to deal with missing & late-work: one teacher's approach

    Part 2: Non-essential Assignments - Multiple Attempts for Learning. Tweets: The key with these assignments is that the student will have further opportunities to demonstrate their learning, but these missed assignments demonstrate a need for a different type of support, a support that grade penalties just frankly don't offer.

  6. 3 Ways to Excuse Yourself from Unfinished Homework

    Teachers are familiar with many excuses, and can often recognize outlandish ones as untrue. [1] 2. Mutilate your assignment so you teacher can't tell you didn't actually do the work. Turn in the illegible or destroyed assignment, so that you can show your "proof" of your excuse. Crumple and tear a paper assignment.

  7. I turned in my assignment and a teacher lost it (and admitted ...

    Sorry buddy, I have never lost a paper but giving someone a free pass regardless of who lost it wouldn't teach the life lessons I want to pass on. If it was a grading assignment or exam then there are already protocols in place depending on the school or location. 1 they take you average mark 2. They take your highest earned mark 3.

  8. Teacher Losing Assignments?

    Teacher Losing Assignments? Pre-College Issues High School Life. Alarmed May 25, 2012, 10:04am 1. <p>I ended up with a B+ in Honors Chemistry. An 88. My teacher lost two of my assignments and blamed me. He ended up never putting in two 100 point assignments I turned in. He put them in as zeros. Those two quizzes could've bumped me up at an A-.

  9. teacher lost my assignment and i don't know what to do

    My computer science teacher usually has us do her assignments and write code on the computer, and then print our work out and turn it in to her on paper. About two weeks ago, our end of unit project was due. I finished the code, and then printed it out and turned it into the designated folder on the day it was due.

  10. 4 strategies to get those missing assignments turned in

    Here are 3 simple and repeatable tips to help classroom teachers encourage students to—finally—submit those late, missing, or forgotten assignments. 1. Help students manage their own assignment completion. There's no better way to promote accountability than to help students to keep track of and manage their own assignments list.

  11. Assignment disappeared on my classroom. Is there a way to recover lost

    This help content & information General Help Center experience. Search. Clear search

  12. Professor not Grading Assignments on time? Here's what to do

    Tips to Speed your Teacher to Grade. You can make arrangements with your teacher to ensure you get your grades on time. The following tips will offer you a great advantage to help you get your grades within the acceptable timeframe: 1. Ask the Teacher to limit the Length of the Assignments

  13. Has your teacher ever lost one of your assignments or a test?

    <p>My teacher lost two of my tests from a month ago, and only just informed me. It's now too late to retake them. So now I have two big fat zeros in the grade book, and a B-. Not sure how this happened, since I turned it into the exact same pile as other students who took the test, at the exact same time. And they all have their tests graded. </p> <p>Happy New Years. I want to die.</p>

  14. What to do when a teacher makes an atrocious assignment.

    My daughter told the teacher she thought this wasn't a great assignment, especially since two classmates lost a close relative to cancer earlier in the school year and are still grieving.

  15. What should you do if you lose your student's exam?

    $\begingroup$ I have. Students appreciate the message about grade reflecting understanding and really value the idea of a grade being fair. I usually nudge towards the retake - connecting to the final if that's a comprehensive thing.

  16. On students claiming teachers lost their work : r/Teachers

    On students claiming teachers lost their work. Classroom Management & Strategies. "You lost my paper" actually means . . . I didn't do my work, and my parents are mad about my grade, so I'll pass the buck and blame the teacher. The teacher is a hot mess, so I think I might be able to get him/her to believe it and give me points anyway.

  17. The 10 Most Common Homework Excuses Teacher's Receive (And How to Come

    Even if you did forget your homework, come up with something more creative than this. Here's a little trick: "I forgot my homework, but my mom said she'll bring it in during lunch/after school.". This will buy you a few hours. Do the assignment during lunch and bring it in after school. My printer doesn't work: Come on!

  18. My teacher returned my assignment to me and it appeared as missing

    This help content & information General Help Center experience. Search. Clear search

  19. Missing Assignment Email to Teacher: 25 Examples

    1 |I am writing this email to inform you that I forgot to submit my assignment. It was due today, but I didn't have time to finish it in time. I apologize and I hope you understand. 2| I am very sorry to report that I have not completed my homework yet. I did not have time after school today and would like to do it now.

  20. How do I know when my instructor has graded my assignment?

    View Assignment Grade. A dot next to the assignment indicates the assignment that has been graded [1]. The indicator disappears when you navigate away or refresh the page. The score column displays the score given to the assignment [2]. In the Grades page, you can also see if the assignment includes scoring details, comments, or rubrics.

  21. What do you do if a student claims you lost their assignment?

    That makes sense. I once had a sixth grade teacher who lost SO MANY papers. And I know kids weren't lying because it wasn't uncommon for her to lose in class work (it wasn't just homework she lost). She always claimed to never lose them and always made kids redo it sadly. She was a nice, good teacher but woah, organization was not her strong suit.

  22. Why can't I see my students' progress?

    If your students have successfully added your class and completed progress but you are unable to view their progress, it could be due to a number of factors. Please ensure that: Your students are completing their assignments while logged into the accounts that are connected to your teacher account. You can verify their account credentials from ...

  23. My teacher lost my assignment and gave me a 0 for it… I am ...

    Posted by u/Ecstatic-Biscotti-15 - 1 vote and 2 comments

  24. my teacher may have lost my assignment : r/AskTeachers

    Now mind you my teacher is BLIND she can not see a thing. I start arguing with her that I'm pretty sure I've turned the assignment in and she argues back that the way she keeps assignments is flawless because she puts them in her drawer. By the end of it she doesn't believe I did the assignment at all and I'm pissed at her.