Constellations Suck and So Do Clouds

My step daughter has an extended homework assignment that leads me to believe that her science teacher has never had a teaching job before.

She has to make at least once a week observations of the moon, the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and Orion.

Three problems: 1) weather. Have you ever tried observing constellations in the rain? How 'bout when the sky is cloudy. You know, like its been almost every night this week? 2) location. Our house is in the woods. Have you ever tried stargazing in the woods? Let me tell you what it's like... Pretty much impossible. 3) time. Orion does not rise until early morning this time of year. The Big Dipper is up in the evenings but its barely above the horizon. If we lived on top of a high hill we'd be all set there. But we don't.

Think about number three for a second. An 11 year old kid's science teach has given an assignment that requires said 11 year old to wake up and go outside before sunrise. What if this 11 year old cant see the stars in question? The assignment states that she move to a place where she can see the stars in question. So this teacher wants this 11 year old to go outside before sunrise and wander around the neighborhood. Yeah, that's what I thought. Like I said before, we live in the woods. Is she supposed to leave not only the house, but the yard, and the neighborhood too? Before sunrise? Are you effing kidding me? I guess she's supposed to do that in the evening too when the Big Dipper fails to rise above the houses and trees.

There she and I were this morning at 5:30am, standing in the middle of the street looking up at the total cloud cover with the 11year old freaking out because she thinks she's going to fail science and have to repeat sixth grade.

This science teacher is an asshole, and seems to be a completely ignorant idiot. If she wants, I'll get up at 4:00am and knock on her door to let her know.