The Homework Caller

Don't you hate it when those people from your class only call you when they need help with homework? This happened to me more in high school than in college, but it still happens on a rare occasion. You've done the work that's due tomorrow a couple days ago because you know the Steelers are playing the Ravens on Monday Night Football. You're hanging out with your friends watching the game, and you get a call from a classmate who you don't really know outside of class. And so it begins. You decide to ignore the call because you expect you know what the want. Two minutes later you receive a text message saying, "hey this chem homework's pretty tough" as if he's trying to have a legitimate conversation. You wait a little while but finally respond and play it off as if you were in the shower. He asks if you're done and you say yeah, but the whole time you're trying to play it off as if you're unsure if your answers are correct because you don't want to leave the comfort of your couch to help him. Finally, you just give in and decide to meet him in the library. Depending on the course, assignment, and individual you're helping this could take anywhere from five minutes to five hours. Whenever it's done, it's done, and you're annoyed because you missed Troy Polamalu's 90-yard interception return for a touchdown to seal the deal in overtime. What's even more annoying than this is when you receive a call or text message from an unknown number desiring the same thing. Honestly? You don't even know me well enough to have my phone number, so you probably don't know me well enough to ask for help with your homework. That is what really irritates me. At least with the first type of person you have his phone number for a reason. Maybe you two exchanged it in class for this purpose or you got it randomly at a party. Either way you two have each others number for a reason. The unknown number person had to work to get your phone number from someone else. If he used the time that he took to get your phone number to work on his homework instead, he may have completed the assignment and answered his own question. At the same time, I've been that guy. I try really hard not to be and the people I usually ask for help are my actual friends, but I am guilty of this and I would venture to guess that most students are. I usually end up helping in either situation because I know if I was in a bind and needed help I would want somebody to help me out. In the future though, try to get the work done a little while in advance so you at least provide the courtesy of not asking for help at the last minute.

Until next time,

Zac