Lemon into Lemonade?
(To any HTML coders out there, I apologize for the looks of this page. I can't seem to straighten this mess out...)
There is a website at which I point my web browser virtually every weekday morning. Neal Boortz, aka The Mouth of the South, is a talk show host on WSB AM radio in Atlanta. He does a column called
Nealz Nuze. He is what today would be described as a "conservative" but is in reality a libertarian. I do not always agree with the conclusions Mr. Boortz reaches but he does present some interesting viewpoints about the news and the items that cross his desk. He is also not afraid to offend anyone to make his point. Those of you with RealAudio can listen in via the internet. He's on from 8:30 to noon.On May 11, his column had the following:
This morning I found a little government education outrage from years past. It seems that S. Hardy, a teacher in the Cobb County (note: that's in the Atlanta area) government schools sent her students home with a writing exercise that had been generated in a Cobb County Staff Development Session. The students were told to fill in the blanks in the following paper:
IT'S NOT FAIR!
Every day, as I look around me, I see a few more things that are not fair. First of all, it's not fair that ______________ are allowed to _______________ and I'm not. My family lets ______________ do whatever he/she wants to, and that's not fair.
At dinner I have to _____________________, and that's not fair either. Every day I have to ________________ and I know that's not fair!
I have to do a lot of tasks around my home. I have to _________ and _________ . I've noticed that _____________ doesn't have to do nearly so much. This makes me want to ________________.
In school, the teacher always ______________, which isn't fair. I never get to ________ or ___________.
It's not fair at all that kids have to ___________ and are not allowed to _______ or ___________.
Here are some other things which aren't fair:
1.
2.
3.
It just smacks of some new-fangled NEA/degree-in-education pap used to "reach" the students, doesn't it? For this reason, I imagine, Mr. Boortz is upset. Judging the assignment straight on, I agree with him. (And although my grammar is far from perfect, I expect better from "educators" than phrases like "other things which aren't fair.").
However, let's take this assignment and show what it can be in the hands of a good teacher.
Picture yourself sitting at a desk in a Cobb County school. Your version of S Hardy hands out a mimeograph with the above typescript on it.
(Gads! Did I say mimeograph? Stevenson is running for President? Radios without tubes? Operator, I want to place a person to person long distance call! Where'd I leave the keys to the Hudson? I mean photocopy!)
"Class, here is your homework assignment. I want you to take this home and fill it out before you have supper. Just let loose and fill it out. Express what you feel right off the top of your head. Set this assignment aside. Now, for those of you who do volunteer work or would like to, go serve some volunteer hours at a local AIDS hospice, or an old-folks' home, or a local shelter for runaway kids. For those who would rather not do this sort of thing, start reading the newspaper or watch TV news. Pay attention to stories about those fighting to keep their homes in the face of occupation forces. Pay attention to ones about folks who are harassed, or worse, for their beliefs or simply for what they are as human beings. Right here at school, watch how some of your fellow students are treated because they are, somehow, different.
"Do any or all of this for until the 15th of next month. Then, take this assignment back out again and read what you wrote. The last part of this assignment is to write an essay about what you NOW perceive as being unfair or unjust. This assignment will be graded for grammar and spelling ONLY".
A good teacher could take this touchy-feely nonsense that the Cobb County Staff Development members came up with and make it into something useful and educational. The kids are given an assignment on which their grammar and spelling will be the sole measures for the grade they receive. At the same time this teacher, by giving such an assignment, has given the students something about which to THINK. This assignment might lead to discussions with their family over the evening meal, or with their friends at lunchtime. Do teachers like this one exist? Yes, they do.
Some great news!
In my last column I wrote: "
St. Johns Hardware in Portland thrives despite being 10 minutes away from two of the "big box" DIY centers. Why? Because their clerks know what you mean when you describe "that doohicky with the loop and hook you use to hold a screen door shut". They do not send you traipsing off to some aisle at the other end of the store just to get rid of you. They do not try to dazzle you by giving their help fancy titles like "sales team member".Just today I received a nice FAX from them. In the two years I have been away they have expanded the business to include on-site small engine repair, lock-smithing, and even a travel agency.
They are also celebrating 90 years in business, Portland's oldest family owned hardware business. Congratulations, folks! I am sure they will still be thriving long after the big box stores have merged, divested, reorganized, and otherwise faded into memory.
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