Not everythng they write is poorly written

So, I had my students write their last journal entry for the semester on the best/worst part of the class and why they liked/disliked it. Most of them were fairly mundane. Several suggested I stop giving tests and making them read. It's only English class...why should they read? Some of them were very nice and told me they liked the class, and a few even mentioned having actually learned something. Go figure.

One, however, gave me a response that was quite entertaining, and for once it wasn't because of abysmal spelling or grammar. For a little background, there was one student in the class with quite possibly the worst case of ADHD I've ever seen, coupled with actual intelligence, and a complete and utter lack of common sense and tact. This resulted in quite a bit of him saying stupid and/or inappropriate things, and he was not well liked in the class at all. To be honest, I am quite happy to not have him in class either, and not because I dislike the kid, he's just exhausting and extremely frustrating as a student. So, one student gave me the following response in his journal:

I would have to say that the worst part of this class was [student name]. Please pass him, so no one else will have to deal with him in the future.

Very selfless of him. Luckily for all of us, this student managed to pass on his own, so none of my fellow English teachers will have to put up with his inattention again. Not that I blame the author for the comment...I'm sure he wasn't the only one in the class thinking it, he was just the only one that wrote it. Of course, this author was also one of the few kids in the class that actually understood the material before I had to water it down, so he probably picked up on the fact that this kid was simply incapable of controlling himself.

Also: got probably the most interesting scantron sheet ever this semester. This was from a student that could not possibly pass the class because he did not complete his Graduation Project. Instead of answering the questions on the final test he bubbled the following on his scantron:

Side 1: HAPPY DAYS!!
Side 2: COWABUNGA!!

But hey, he scored a 2/100. Not that much worse than the kid that supposedly actually tried and got a 27/100. Yeah, that class didn't exactly do great on the exam...good thing they got their ridiculously inflated Graduation Project grades as their Final Exam grades, as the class average on the test before the curve was a 53%. Clearly remembering things is over rated.

Note to self: I am better at writing blog posts when I don't do it right before bed. Please remember that for next time...