*During Journal Writing Time*

Student : "Ms. V., How do you spell Buffet" (pronounced Buff-it)

Me: "What?"

Student : "You know, Buff-it, like Hometown Buff-it."

Me: "Oh, Hometown Buffet."

Student : "No...Buff-it!"

Me: "Actually, it is pronounced Buffet. (writing on a piece of scratch paper Buff + ay) See, it sounds like Buff + ay put them together and you get Buffet."

Student : "Ms. V., you only use the + sign when you are adding, not spelling. "

Me: "Well, I was just trying to show you how it sounds."

Student : (looking at me like I have lost my mind) Um ... Ms. V. It isn't spelled that way with the plus sign. It is spelled B-u-f-f-e-t.

Me: "Well, it is a French spelling."

Student : "But we live in the U.S."

Me: "Well, it is a French word that we use and it is spelled one way and sounds another."

Student: "Why"

Me: (at my wits end by now) "Why?"

Student: "Yeah, why?"

Me: "Because I said so!"

Student: "Oh, ok, why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

Me: *sigh!!!*