"Dummies" was a term of endearment. Turning the dish around didn't work, they chose the back side.
The point of turning it around was not to get to "work". It was to learn something.
For example - food and water bowls for my cats are placed near, but not right up against, a wall. When eating or drinking, they show a marked preference for not having their bodies stick out into the room. They will tend to come at the bowls from the side or back.
Turning the bowl around tells you whether the point is about the bowl, or about position with respect to the rest of the room that mattered.