The English unit was on the Scottish play. The assignment was a soliloquy, un-rhymed blank verse, from the point of view of one of the characters (not the king). This is generally considered the hardest assignment of the year; my older child, who writes, had found it very challenging. Younger DS, who does not turn in any writing, wrote a sonnet. Enjoyed doing it. And turned it in. A true sonnet (well, one variation in one of the lines) It was excellent. It brought tears to my eyes. It was shared around his team, and all agreed it sounds exactly like DS, with depth and honesty and insight. 100% and skyrocketed his grade from an "F--"to a solid "D".

(Maybe that last part belongs in "quirky anecdotes", or perhaps "general support/headbang".)