Every teacher should keep a running log of the things students say. I’ve enjoyed the various lists of students’ bloopers I’ve read, but I could add my own. Additionally, there are some things students say that are revelatory of not only ignorance, but perhaps some deeper problems. For example, at the end of each six weeks, and especially towards the end of the year, students who have been, to use an euphemism, “less than diligent,” approach me and say, “Is there anything I can do for extra points?” Many teachers buckle and think up some quick assignment, and the quality of the work is often less than what SHOULD have been submitted onl time, and the student ends up passing. I tell them student, “Why should I do extra work now because you didn’t do your work then? That doesn’t seem fair to me.”

I might consider giving a student who did his/her work on time some extra work to raise their grade, but to offer “makekup” work as a quick escape plan–no that’s not fair to student or teacher. I intend to do some more writing and thinking on this topic.