Alyssa's Spiel on Textbooks

I HATE texbooks. A lot. To be more specific, I hate the questions in textbooks. It seems like they are always really really stupid and off-subject, especially the essay/written response questions. To prove my point, I've provided a few examples from my lit book, and you can decide if they're made up or not.

Example 1:
In the story, "My Grandpa Died and it Made Me Really Sad," a boy's grandfather dies and he is very depressed. What could have happened to prevent the boy from feeling so sad? Write a 10-sentence paragraph to explain your answer.

Example 2:
The story, "Priscilla Is the Way She Is" is about a girl who is different from the kids in her school. If Priscilla were from Mars instead of Illinois, how would the story change? Please use a 10-sentence paragraph to properly explain your answer.

Me: Teacher, do we really have to answer these questions?
Teacher: (not paying attention, chatting on Facebook) Hmm....? Oh, um YES. You absolutely MUST do all the questions to receive full credit... Oh, look! It's Joanna Martin! I went to high school with her...

Example 3:
"Life and the Changes That Happen in It" is a story about a person who has a life-changing experience. Write about a life-changing experience that you've had and include details in a 10-sentence paragraph. If possible, use all of the vocabulary words included for this selection.

List of Vocabulary Words:
1. equanimity
2. victuals
3. defalcate
4. osteopath
5. tautological
6. hidebound
7. froward
8. hermetic
9. nocuous
10. erstwhile

Example 4:
In, "My Friend Cliff," a girl jumps off of a cliff and nearly kills herself. In a 10-sentence paragraph, write about a severe injury or near-death experience you've had. Include details tto describe the pain and suffering you went through. If needed, you may use a dictionary to find more words to use.


That's all for today, folks. I'll be here all week- or longer.

Facebook is Ruining My Life

If anyone is wondering why I haven't posted in a month, it's because of Crackboo- I mean, Facebook. Or rather, more beacause of my darling mother, who I have the privilege of sharing a computer with (lame, huh?) and who is also way more addicted to Facebook than she is willing to let on. She is on there 24/7, and I find myself constantly in fear that she will discover some new game like Mafia Wars or Farm Town just as she's starting to get sick of the whole thing, and then the 3-month-long cycle of exhausting our poor laptop will start all over again. These are some really long sentences, huh? I guess I type a lot when I'm complaining...