The Dog Ate My Homework And Other Dumb Excuses A Chicago Tutor Has Heard

Chicagoans is a first-person account from off the beaten track, as told to Anne Ford. This week’s Chicagoan is Kristi Harreld, tutor.

“So then I’ll pull something out of their backpack or binder: ‘What’s this? Has the teacher talked to you about these quizzes? Look at this note the teacher wrote you.’ They’ll say, ‘Oh, I didn’t see that.’ Yeah, OK. We all get that you’re maybe not telling the truth. I say, ‘Your teacher is being very generous to you and wants to see you succeed. This person is really saying to you, ‘I care about you, and I think you can do better.’”