Yes You CAN!

Okay, Spot, well you are very cute...but do you see that naughty look on that face? Well, if you are not a teacher, you might not. But look closer. If you get your nose almost up to the screen, and look into the black eye, and not the white one...oooooo, there's a little devil in there! 

No homework today, "I read it, but I just didn't take the notes," he said. "If you ask me any question, I know it, really." And then there's the case of Spot's friend...the I-did-it-honest, but-I -don't-know-where-it-is guy. Well grades went home, and those excuses didn't fit on the page, so I had to leave them out!  And guess what---who got the blame? You guessed it! The teacher.

Okay, this is NOT a rant, it's simply a statement of public concern. Why is the tail wagging the dog? If I went home with missing homeworks and failing grades because of it, I'd do either of two things: 1) I would've hidden in the Steck's barn until it was pitch black outside and then I would sneak in the back door and try to pretend I'd been there all along, sneaking the report card under my dad's nose with a pen in my hand. "Can you just sign this piece of paper real quick?" or 2) I'd have gone home and slid under my bed until my dad was so distraught, he'd do anything to have his 'little sunshine' back. Either way, I'd have gotten my butt whooped. 

I say bring it back...well no, I know, I'm not encouraging butt-whoopings across America. I am just suggesting that Spot is untrained and unruly...and far too large and in charge. Time to get a hold of it all again, because the answer is NO...no...no to everything and anything! But more specifically, no to the idea that the teacher should be looking for that missing piece of homework that Spot says he can't find...no matter how cute Spot is. It's not good for him---he's old enough to think for himself, and by others thinking for him, he begins to believe that he can't. So, Spot...are you listening? REPEAT after me, "YES I CAN!" And if you don't believe me, just ask President Obama! You are really cute, really. But now, we're going to teach you to be RESPONSIBLE too. When I'm an old lady, I want to know that all the Spots in this world CAN take care of themselves. That, after all, is the nature of the job. (Oh, and by the way...Spot has two girl classmates...one named I-did-part-of-it, and the other Oops-left-it-home again. This is definitely an equal gender environment.)