Blankie

My students have to write a research paper. A six-page research paper. Needless to say, they are petrified and dragging their feet and making their lives even more miserable. In an attempt to help them out, I hold an after-school "tutorial" in the computer lab on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The thing is, they don't really need me. Most of them come in and ask me one question, and then work on their own. They don't even need me there to use the lab -- they can use it without a teacher sitting there. But, it seems, they like knowing that I'm there, just in case. Just in case the computer explodes or the Internet crashes or they can't remember their names. It's cute.

They would never admit it, but I am their research-paper security blanket.