Homework: Describe How You Would Kill Teacher

A middle school teacher who wanted to find an interesting way to get her students to demonstrate their knowledge, succeeded: She assigned them to write an essay describing how they would kill her.

The English teacher also learned a lesson herself: That kind of assignment tends to alarm parents.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that Patricia Lorenzen, the teacher who gave the assignment, has since apologized to students and parents at Kingsview Middle School in Germantown. Students in her period 1, 2, 3 and 5 classes received the unorthodox writing assignment on Nov. 5, but it was rescinded and Lorenzen’s apology issued on Nov. 10.

And Principal James D’Andrea told the newspaper that the “matter has settled down since that time.”

»Want more Patch news? Subscribe to the daily Bethesda email newsletter.

In the apology letter Lorenzen sent to parents, she said the class assignment required students to use at least three gerunds, three infinitives and three participles to describe how they would kill her.

Her note said, “I was trying to create an assignment that would be an engaging way to review grammar concepts, but it was not appropriate and should not have happened.”

Students who fulfilled the offbeat homework were given full credit, and those who did not were not penalized.

Lorenzen’s apology letter also noted that it was a privilege to get to know the students and she looked forward to the remainder of the school year.

The Post says Lorenzen did not respond to e-mails or phone calls requesting comment.

There is no mention of the incident on the school’s website or on principal D’Andrea’s Twitter feed.

PHOTO: Screenshot of teacher’s apology letter from The Washington Post.

See Also:

Crayola Apologizes For Off-Color Posts After Facebook Hack

Prosecutor: Mom Can’t Remember Where She Left Newborn