What in the world? OK parents and teachers — Tell me what you think about this worksheet apparently assigned to students at one local middle school class.
Posted by Scott Wise - WTVR CBS 6 [1] on Monday, November 13, 2017 [2]
Middle school homework assignments typically include some algebra, geography, and, possibly, the early stages of a foreign language. But definitely not defining words like "trophy wife" or "affair." Scott Wise, a reporter in Virginia, recently uncovered a "family quiz" assignment [3] from a school in Hopewell, VA, that is so inappropriate, it has parents enraged.
In addition to having students identify that "the sister of your father" is your aunt, the assignment also identifies "the much younger boyfriend of an older woman" as a "boy toy." We're not sure about you guys, but this assignment (above) doesn't look like any of the homework we received during our peak education years.
Although it is impressive that this student got 20 out of 20 questions correct, and we'd never turn away a good grade, the fact that this was even given out as homework is appalling. Seriously, was Romeo & Juliet too old school? As it turns out, the Family & Consumer Science teacher at Carter G. Woodson Middle School didn't actually have this approved — it was printed out from an ESL website [4] "to share worksheets around the world."
According to local news station WTVR, a statement from the superintendent [6] said, "This content was not a part of the current and approved curriculum for this course nor was it in any way an appropriate learning tool for middle school-aged children. This assignment was also not included or referenced in the teacher's weekly lesson plans that are reviewed and approved in advance of instruction."
While some people have praised the humorous worksheet online, most parents are livid. One parent told the local site, "I couldn't believe that an educator would be giving something like that an 11-year-old . . . It's inappropriate for a school. Period. We send our kids there to learn math, reading, science, and history, not to learn this other stuff that goes on in the world that [they're] eventually going to learn anyways."
Well, it looks like these children are getting some early exposure to the world of Urban Dictionary [7]. What would you do if your child brought this home from school?