I attended a curriculum meeting yesterday, where a teacher asked our district director, “Do you have any extra work I can give my ‘smartie pants’ student who finishes in 5 minutes?” Even though the question wasn’t directed at me, I felt compelled to respond. I suggested allowing the student time to pursue something of interest. My curriculum director said, “We can’t set a precedent for allowing students to rush through assignments to have free time.” She then instructed the teacher to check the “enrichment folder.” Enrichment folders exist so that teachers can assign busy work while focusing on students who are struggling.