Blog Math and "It's Just a Joke"

According to the dictionary I consulted, there are two definitions of the word joke:

noun  - a thing that someone says to cause amusement or laughter, especially a story with a funny punchline

verb - make jokes; talk humorously

Why is she posting this?  I am posting this because this is the excuse I get - all too often - when I catch students misbehaving.  When they deface another person's belongings, call names, make judgements or accusations, or even more recently (on Friday before the bus arrived for our field trip) demand a refund, they try to defuse the situation by saying that they were making a joke.  Really?  How is the behaviour I just described funny?  I encourage all students to think before they impulsively misbehave, and when the poor decisions occur, they must be prepared to take responsibility for their actions.

Congratulations to all the students who successfully answered last week's blog math question.  The correct response was:

Store A:  2 x $6.48 = $12.96  for 24 oranges

Store B:  $2.65 divided by 5 = $0.53 each

4 x $2.65 = $10.60 for 20 oranges plus 4 x $0.53 = $2.12

$10.60 + 2.12 = $12.72 for 24 oranges

Savings:  $12.96 - $12.72 = $0.24

Change:  $20 - $12.72 = $7.28

Here is the new question that is due next Tuesday:

Justify your thinking.

**hint hint:  use your knowledge of similar figures (dilations) to assist with this question.