Homework Fail Asks 7th Graders To Determine Whether A Wife Cheated On Her Husband
When most of us sit down to help our kids with their homework, we figure the worst we’re in for is a bit of algebra we don’t remember, but one Virginia mom ended up discussing something slightly more risque. According to CBS affiliate WTVR, Patricia Galvan was helping her seventh grader complete an assignment for his science course’s genetics unit when they came to a question asking students to determine whether or not a fictional woman had been faithful to her partner. The question read:
The students were then expected to use a Punnet square — a diagram that determines genetic outcomes — to figure out if Orville was indeed the father Opal’s baby.
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I tend to be more laid back than most in my opinions on discussing sexual realities with kids, but even I found this a little bit whacky. Couldn’t the teacher just ask if Orville is the father of the child and leave it at that? Do the students really need to ponder whether or not Opal is lying and how that fits into the complex tapestry of her relationship with Orville?
Unsurprisingly, Galvan says this isn’t the first time her son has come home with a questionable assignment since starting middle school.
Galvan said she was also disappointed in her son’s Social Studies assignment. She said the teacher asked them to research a character from the 1920s and then speed date with other class members. She said they were also asked to make a fake Match.com profile.
Historical speed dating could possibly be an interesting way to absorb facts about historical figures quickly, but the concept still seems a bit mature for seventh graders. I don’t understand why it needs to be speed dating as opposed to students just interviewing each other, and don’t even get me started on the fake Match.com profile. That is trouble just waiting to happen. Can you imagine the freaks out there who would jump at the chance to send a dick pic to Susan B. Anthony?
I’m not an expert at building curriculum, but I feel like the staff at this school could use a refresher on how to broach subjects in a responsible way without opening up huge cans of worms parents aren’t ready to address. I’m sure by seventh grade kids are aware of what ‘unfaithful’ means, but it is entirely possible and acceptable that a seventh grader’s mom has not discussed the joyful world of paternity tests and online dating yet. These aren’t adults, after all, or even teenagers.
A school official said they will provide teachers with additional reminders to keep their instructional materials age appropriate. I think that’s an excellent decision, though the teachers may first need a reminder of what ‘age appropriate’ even means. At the rate they’ve been going, it’s only a matter of time before math teachers ask students to determine the amount of calories a porn star burns in a 40-hour work week using averages based on specific sex positions. With pictures.
(Photos: Shutterstock, WTVR)
