Homework is a word that makes many kids (and parents!) shudder. But take-home work is that much harder to stomach when the kids' teacher sends them home with an assignment that's offensive, inappropriate, or just plain weird. Unfortunately, teachers don't always think through their assignments to kids … and the results often end up making news. We found some of the worst assignments that teachers have ever given their students — and it's not pretty.
More from CafeMom: 25 Great US Spots to Take the Kids Before They Graduate High School
Once upon a time the scariest part of a child's homework for a parent was trying to remember math formulas from seventh grade. Nowadays, parents have found that when their children bring their assignments home, there are all sorts of weird things they are being asked to do. Think we're kidding? Read on and see. We are not.
More from CafeMom: 25 Things Every Kid Should Do Before Kindergarten
For anyone who might be curious what kids are learning these days, take a peek at some of these doozies that have made headlines. Some of these are honest mistakes, and others … well, what were these teachers thinking? From racism to Republican-bashing, consider these 10 good reasons to check the kids' homework — just in case there's something fishy going on.
Who's Your Daddy?
Ninth grade biology students at Romeo High School in Michigan were given a homework designed to help them understand blood types and DNA … by asking them to determine the identity of a baby's father. The possible answers: the cable guy, the mailman, the cab driver, the bartender and "the guy at the club." Erm, that's sure to raise some awkward questions, not to mention some weird vibes when you get your mail.
The Math of Slavery
Question: If a tree has 56 oranges and eight slaves pick them equally, how many would each slave pick? In 2012 third graders at Beaver Ridge Elementary School in Norcross, Georgia were given this query as part of their homework … not surprisingly, parents were outraged!
G-U-N
In 2012, parents in Queens, New York were horrified when their kindergartner came home with a worksheet asking her to spell the words "gun" and "rob." Hm, that does seem a tad young to be introduced to the violent world we live in, doesn't it?
More from The Stir: 11 Kids' School Projects Gone Very, Very Wrong (PHOTOS)
Serial Killer Poetry
In 2012, a ninth grade homework assignment in Australia shocked parents by asking students to detail the life, crimes and even home decor of a serial killer through written profiles, cartoons, even poetry. That's a pretty twisted assignment!
Man 'Hits' Dog
When one 5-year-old boy was given a homework assignment where he had to select certain words to fill in sentences to describe accompanying images, he paused at the picture of a man whacking a dog with a newspaper. Instead of giving the correct answer — "the man hit the dog" — he wrote "the man pet the dog," adding "you should not hit dogs." Give that kid an A! And the school an F.
Bad Beer Riddle
A group of sixth graders at Crofton Middle School in Maryland were given some math homework which posed the following question: "Why did the young actress stuff her autograph into bottles of that less-filling beer?" The answer: She wanted to see her name in lites. Lite beer, get it? Well, the parents of these kids weren't laughing, and not just because it's a bad joke. It's because beer references in homework are a bad idea.
More from The Stir: Moms Outraged Over Kids Using Wine Glasses in Elementary School Project
Big Fat Problem
In 2013, kindergartners at University Place Primary in Washington came home with an assignment to circle pictures that matched the words … only one was of a chubby girl labeled "fat." Ouch!
Case of the Cheating Hairclip
In 2014, a class of fourth graders in El Paso, Texas were given a reading comprehension homework assignment where they perused a passage then interpreted what happened. Well, the passage was about a wife finding something rather fishy in her bed: some other woman's hairclip. The correct answer? Her husband's cheating! Not exactly the kind of lesson most parents want fourth graders to figure out.
Dead Indians
In 2012, third graders at Lakeland Union High School were given math homework asking, "What happened after Chief Short Cake Died?" Some of the kids in class were Native Americans, and their parents were (rightly) upset. Yeah, not too smart on the teacher's part.
Pro-Obama Homework
During the presidential elections of 2012, Obama unwittingly got some campaign help from a group of middle schoolers in Virginia. Teacher Michael Denman gave his students a homework assignment where they were to ferret out and exploit weaknesses in Republican presidential candidates (like Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul). From there, the kids sent their suggestions to the Obama campaign. Erm, maybe the Democratic parents appreciated this … the Republican parents? Not so much.
More from The Stir: 10 Reasons Homework Sucks
