Homework Hilarity . . .

Jessica usually has her homework done by the time I get home from work. If she hasn't, it is because she hasn't understood it, and by the time I am drafted in to help there may have been tears already, or Jessica may have entered her 'silly half-hour'. In the past couple of weeks I have had to help with fairly difficult comprehension (which I used to love doing), and on one occasion had to seek help from my 13 year old son on how to do Long Division!

Last night was another difficult comprehension. The passage was about airports, aeroplanes, air-traffic controllers, freight, and the functions of an airport. It helps if you know what 'function' means. Jessica has started to display her mother's "AARRGHHH TOO MANY BIG WORDS CANT COPE DOES NOT COMPUTE" mode.

We worked through the questions about pre-packed meals and hundreds of thousands of air-borne movements. Then we came to "What alterations would need to be carried out to the aircraft in order to allow it to carry freight?"

After explaining for the third time what freight was and putting across the possible size of it by mentioning fork-lift trucks, Jessica still couldn't quite grasp what alterations would need to be done, so I tackled it from the opposite side . . .

"Imagine the plane is a massive empty balloon. What would you need to put IN for passengers?" She thought about this for a millisecond and came up with,

"HELIUM!"

Grrr. It is late. I want MY TIME NOW. I do not want to be doing homework. Stop. Being. Silly. Although, I may have to laugh at you now as you are finding it so hilariously funny.

"Ummm. . . ok. . .  let's think again. The plane is completely empty. There is nothing in it. What would you need in there for the passengers?"

"WHY? What happened to the balloon? Did it BURST?"

"Time for bed. Night night."

Personally, I think that if teachers want homework done at home, they ought to come home and supervise it.