hehe they do that here too Kim, give the kids a pass grade just as long as they write their names on the paper. My gf (teacher) had one idiot boy draw a picture of people having sex with a caption and then got annoyed because she told his parents. Clearly he thought his film review assignment was of little importance It is true about the parents though, some of the kids get all the help they need from home, others nothing, but they all get the same education at school and the ones that do the best seem to have parents who give a shit and have consequences for doing badly. People forget the school is there as part of a complete education, parents are still required to make an effort too. The system here babies them and panders to their whining while letting the parents call the shots. Sad world