Thursday, December 2, 2010

In over my head

So the 15-year-old is stuck in AP Euro class till the end of the term. She's in way over her head. Is she smart enough to pass this class? Yes. Is she willing to put in the kind of work that would be required for her to pass this class? No.

She's been bugging us to go to the library for a book she's supposed to read for class. I think it is due by next Thursday. Every time we've gone to take her she's made other plans. Finally I told her last night we were going that minute. When we got there asked her what book it was she needed. She couldn't remember the name of any of the books on the list, but she's looking for the one with the least number of pages, so had to text a friend and ask.

"A Tale of Two Cities"

Nuh-uh. If I had a dime for every time I picked up that book and put it back down again... I only finally made myself read the whole thing about 10 years ago. And I'm an English major.

Today the following e-mail exchange took place:

Me:

Hi Mr. Smith,


Could you please provide me with the list of books to be read for your AP Euro class? I want to make sure Lindsay is reading the right book for her.

Thank you very much--

Dalene


Mr. Smith:

Here's the list:

1. Candide - Voltaire

2. War and Peace - Tolstoy

3. 7 Men of Gascony - Delderfield

4. Napoleon - Schom

5. Lorna Doone – Blackmore

6. Tale of Two Cities – Dickens

7. Three Musketeers – Dumas

8. Don Quixote - Cervantes

9. Wealth of Nations - Smith

Thanks!

My fifteen-year-old...War and Peace? Candide? Don Quixote? By December 9?

Yeah, right.

6 comments:

QueenScarlett said...

I have avoided reading any of those. ;-)

Gerb said...

My two oldest are in that same class! They just (finally!!) got their books this week, too. What did we do? Well, I guess we're cheating a bit... but they're reading the versions that are available in the children's department. Sort of like reading the Cliff Notes, I guess - with lots of illustrations. (I think they are called the 'junior novelization' of the books?) But they'll get the assignment done...

~j. said...

Did somebody say Lorna Doone?

Kalli said...

uh I haven't read any of those

and now I want a shortbread cookie...

dalene said...

Suze to me today:

"Mom, this book isn't really that boring."

She's on page 11.

Gerb--she is only passing this class (and by passing I mean w/ the lowest passing grade possible) by the skin of her teeth. And probably because she is so stinking cute.

-sigh-

Creative-Type Dad said...

I remember some of those, and they were REALLY hard to get through.