I Didn’t Do My Homework Because . . .

Some classic excuses for not doing homework reported by the National Education Association are:

• A kindergarten student actually told me once: “I'm sorry my homework isn't here. My mother forgot to do it for me yesterday.”
• One of my fourth graders told me, "I had a cold over the weekend and I was sneezing a lot. I didn't want you to get sick if I sneezed on my homework, so I didn't do it."
• The best homework excuse I've ever heard was back in the day when we had students typing outlines for their research papers. One young man explained that he didn't have the task completed because his "typewriter didn't come with Roman numerals on it."
• “Once a student came in with a math paper with burnt edges. He spilled milk on it and put it in the microwave to dry. It caught fire.”
• “My grandma spilled her beer on it.”
• “I did my homework in my head and left it at home.”
  
  And my favorite:
• “I didn’t do my homework because I was at a rally for higher teacher pay.”

Kids will use almost any excuse to get out of homework. When I became an adult, I realized that the older I got, the smarter my parents got. Now I can finally appreciate that when my parents told me to do something I didn’t want to, it was for a good reason. I want to support those students who have chosen to put their excuses behind them and pursue an education.

Today’s gift was to make a donation to the school where I teach leadership classes in an MBA program—Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. The students will have no excuse for not doing their homework, if they have people who believe in and support them.

In Giving,

Robin