Don't Make Me Laugh

While grading final exams for my 1st period U.S. History I class I came across this gem in response to the question, "What was the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation?":

It help freed slaves in many ways alot of time. Mr.Amutah I know I was a bad student but if you can forgive me for everything I would be alot nice. So can you please give me a passing grade so I can continue my basketball skill.

Half credit on the answer. The correct response, as we'd gone over numerous times before, was that its theoretical impact was that it freed the slaves in the areas of "rebellion" (namely, the South). This was its purpose. However, the practical impact was that it did nothing since Lincoln no longer had political control of those states in rebellion--they were part of the Confederacy under President Jefferson Davis. One could have also written that it changed the motive of the war for many people in both the Union and the Confederacy.

Moving right along....

(Note: This student's negative behavior log, which I keep [yay, TeacherEase!], has 18 entries--he's definitely in the top three of my students in this regard. Everything ranging from "Kept his head down for most of the period as we read about slavery's statistics and watched part of Roots" to "Acted a fool during the state MCT2 test including: 1) running in the classroom and jumping up towards the intercom, 2) running outside on the way back from lunch, 3) repeatedly talking/cracking jokes after being told time and time again to stop. The day I pass him is the day I pass on. Into the afterlife. FOREVER.)