I have a bad partner for a literature project and need help. Do you have any advice?I was assigned a partner who is lazy and waits till the last...

I've been teaching for 25 years, so this is not the first
time I've heard this complaint. I often encountered this problem during group projects
when I was a student, so I know it can be a problem for a student who is enthusiastic
about the assignment and the resulting grade. It sounds like your teacher is going to be
firm about not allowing you to switch partners, so you may be stuck with who you have.
When I grade group projects, I always have at least two grades: an overall grade and a
separate participatory grade for each student. Teachers aren't stupid. We know that
group projects are rarely completed with equal participation from all its members. I
usually ask each student of the group who has done what, and ask them each to tell me
who was the most valuable member of the group. That way, an average project can still
result in above-average grades for certain members. You might want to ask your teacher
how the grade will be given. Hopefully, your teacher will grade in a similar manner. If
you find out otherwise, I would go ahead and try and pick up the slack by doing as much
individual work as necessary to achieve the final result (and good grade) that you seek.
You don't need to rat out your partner, but if the teacher asks who has done what part
of the work, don't lie. Tell the truth. Your partner probably doesn't care about her
grade anyway, and I don't think other students will hold your honesty against you. Good
luck--with the project, your teacher, your partner and your
grade.