Ok, I’m currently teaching 9th graders. Yesterday, we had a test on The Odyssey. One question was “What did Circe do to Odysseus’s men?” [Answer: turned them into pigs.] One child put down “rim job.” Now, I do find this sort of amusing, and I like to see a creative guess, but I also think it is highly inappropriate to put such a thing down on a test you are handing to your teacher. Furthermore, the rest of the test leads me to believe that he neither read a word of any part of the epic, nor did he bohter to listen to the exegesis in class. So he can’t possibly be aware that rim job is, actually, sort of appropriate to Circe. I think he just saw “do to men” and went into Butthead mode.
I figure he thinks one of two things will happen:
As sex was invented in 1995, and sexual variants only in late 1999, I won’t know what it means, and he will get his paper back with a big “?” on it and get a lot of laughs. After all, he dosen’t know I am a morally degenerate Doper who admires the inspiration of puting such a thing down, even if I am appaled by the fact that he actually did so.
OR
He is trying to get a reaction, This particular child is already a disciplene problem–he talks constantly, never pays attention, and does less than the barest minimum of the work, however low that barest minimum is.
IMO, just give the little bastage whatever grade you feel he earned, apparently an F, with no comments at all. Any comment made will give the punk what he wants and open the door for more of the same. Also, be the supreme bitch and photocopy it, highlight the cool parts and keep it handy for the next parent teacher conference as an example of his work and conduct. Also give a copy to the Principal or other “higher authority” so they are aware of his charming personality. It could come in handy down the road.
It depends on the child but for me when I was an adolescent child humiliation worked well to curb certain characteristics of my behavior. Maybe ask this individual to stand and explain to the class why he thinks this is a correct answer and why it is an appropriate answer for this class.
The modern, enlightened approach to this problem would be to sue the school for sexual harrassment and then live the rest of your life on permanent disability.
Thankfully, Manda JO, you’re a Doper and thus above that kind of foolishness. Just photocopy the page, add it to his permanent record and give him the score he deserves on the test.
Since Mrs. Kunilou has earned a reputation as being able to actually handle BD students (this is not a reputation she wants, as it means she gets assigned to them) I can only quote her advice in almost all matters relating to teaching:
Nonconfrontational: Give him an F with no comment. (I’d avoid this one unless you are certain that giving him attention will only serve to fuel the fire.)
Passive Agressive: Give him an F with no comment, and keep the paper as ammunition for the future. (I’d be against this too–it smacks of the sort of sneakiness that adults should not resort to.)
Confrontational: Call him on the carpet, outside of class, and tell him that it is not acceptible to write vulgarity on his classwork. Do not tell him that you are upset or offended, just tell him in no uncertain terms that this sort of thing is not going to be tolerated. (IMHO, not knowing the kid, I’d say this is best. He’s just spouting off, testing his limits, and he needs a reality check. Yes, it’s a reaction, but it’s a measured, adult reaction.)
Way confrontational: Go straight to the parents or principal. (Seems like a bit of an over-reaction. It might scare the hell out of him, but it also makes you look like a bit of a ninny.)
Disclaimer: I thank the Lord Jesus on my knees that I don’t have to teach high school. However, my mom does, and she recently told me of a somewhat similar case, where a basically nice kid was cajolled into inappropriate behavior by his friends, and she hit him with a big guilt whammy (I just want to know why you did this in my classroom? Why you want to offend me? Have I done something to make you not like me? I’m so very disappointed. . . ) but this kid sounds different. Also, she teaches an elective, so the dynamic between her and her students is quite different than it would be in a required course.
Give him the test back with a failing grade. Also tell him that you appreciated his attempt at humor (not the actual humor, but the attempt), and if he would like a chance to raise his grade, he could hand in a satirical essay about The Odyssy. This might also be the time to point out that any humor should be in the G, or at least PG, ballpark.
I don’t think it would be rewarding him for the inappropriate comment, instead, it would be tricking him into doing more work. I volunteer in an ESL program for junior high kids, and the sneak attack is an invaluable tool.
Should you give him a reaction? Yes. It’s a cry for attention/help, and it sounds like he needs attention and help.
What should the reaction be? I don’t know. You can find out what the other teachers and the principal know about his history and home life. If it looks like talking to his parents and sending him to the principal are not going to help him, then you’ve got to figure out how to reach him yourself. Ask him why he did it? Ask him if he’s asking for a referral to a counsellor/social worker? I realize you’re a teacher and not a social worker, but giving him an “F” and doing nothing more probably doesn’t help him much.
Give him an F, and just write a note on his paper saying something to the effect of:
“If you’re not going to read the book and you’re just going to make jokes on the exam, at least try to make them funny.”
He wants one of two things.
You not to know what it means, so he can giggle with his buds when you give him his test back.
You to know what it means and be very shocked and upset.
If you show him that you know what he is saying AND that he isn’t shocking or funny, you’re killing his plan.
You shouldn’t be personally offended of course. But I think you should definitely take action. He is obviously testing limits, etc. So, you should show him that he was way over the limit.
Is what he did sexual harassment? In a way, yes. He made a clearly inappropriate sexual comment to you. (He knew you would be the only one reading the paper, so he knew he was talking to you.) I am not saying that any kind of legal action should be taken–of course not. But the incident should be treated with great seriousness. Imagine if his answer was “She fucked them.” What would you do then? I think it’s about the same thing.
I know that you may be reluctant to make a big case out of this–a lot of principals prefer things to be handled in the classroom. But I do think that this is serious. I would schedule a meeting with the parents, principal, and a social worker. Then call the kid in and have him explain himself. Then, a serious punishment should be given. Perhaps he should be forced to go to some kind of counseling. He must learn that inappropriate sexual behavior is not allowed under any circumstances.
And finally, point out the grammatical mistake. The answer should have been “rim jobs.”
being a regular pit-surfer, i lean towards the “stand up in class and give us details and examples” response, but i realize this is not going to accomplish anything but get you fired. (go figure the fairness of this!)
i must say, nearly every one of the responses are great. i am dying to know the outcome of this little experiment. please make sure you let us know!