Mom [OT]

I prefer a new technique brought into some of the local schools. It's
called in-school suspension. All who get it are put into one room. All
they're allowed to do is homework. They cannot speak to one another, and
they cannot speak to the aide who is baby-sitting them. It normally only
takes one day to straighten out the most hardened thugs. If they don't,
they get sent to an alternative school that is full of thugs just like
them. The regimen is harsh.

Ahhh. "ISS." My kid got 3 days ISS for getting into a fight once. I thought it
was a brilliant idea at the time. He was isolated in a room off the principal's
office, was required to do *all* the work the regular class was doing, plus
some. And he didn't get a grade for it either. Prior to that idea, the school
would simply suspend them. Which usually amounted to 3 days vacation, since
parents were usually working and couldn't monitor the TV-watching, etc.

Sherry

On Thu, 01 Apr 2004 04:32:40 GMT, wrote:

Steve Touchstone wrote:

I graduated HS in 72

Does that make you a '54 baby, Steve? I have several friends who,
along with me, are hitting the Big 5-0 this year. tremble

Joyce

Yep, turn 50 on June 1st
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

Patty turned 50 last January 6.

Steve Touchstone wrote:

On Thu, 01 Apr 2004 04:32:40 GMT, wrote:


Steve Touchstone wrote:


I graduated HS in 72

Does that make you a '54 baby, Steve? I have several friends who,
along with me, are hitting the Big 5-0 this year. tremble

Joyce


Yep, turn 50 on June 1st

David Yehudah wrote:

Patty turned 50 last January 6.

Ahem, why do I find this hard to believe? Could it be that you're
a perennial prankster, compounded by the fact that it is still April
Fool's Day?

Joyce

Joyce! You cut me to the quick, branding me as a teller of untruths just
because occasionally I embellish ever so slightly the plain, unvarnished
truth. Artistic verisimilitude is a legitimate way of adorning an
otherwise bald and uninteresting story. Does not the willing suspension
of disbelief exist in your world? Besides, Patty can lie about her own
age; she doesn't need any help. ;-)

wrote:
David Yehudah wrote:

Patty turned 50 last January 6.

Ahem, why do I find this hard to believe? Could it be that you're
a perennial prankster, compounded by the fact that it is still April
Fool's Day?

Joyce

David Yehudah wrote:
I prefer a new technique brought into some of the local schools. It's
called in-school suspension. All who get it are put into one room. All
they're allowed to do is homework. They cannot speak to one another, and
they cannot speak to the aide who is baby-sitting them. It normally only
takes one day to straighten out the most hardened thugs. If they don't,
they get sent to an alternative school that is full of thugs just like
them. The regimen is harsh.

I wrote a magazine article a few years ago in which I suggested that
those who didn't want to learn be sent outdoors to play kickball or any
other time-wasting activity. That way the rest could get the education
they are being cheated out of now by a few chronic losers.


ISS (in school suspension) depends on who is in charge of that class
room. I've seen it work well, and seen it be a fiasco. At one school
the person running it was a coach and made sure that none of the
athletes got ISS. Another one would talk tough, but let the kids have a
party once they were in the room. But then I've also seen one where the
teacher would leave a running tape recorder whenever she had to leave
the room and woe betide the student caught talking when she came back.

There are days when I get so tired of teaching the 5% of students who
don't want to behave that I'd like to ship them to their own area where
they can't disturb those who want to learn. Maybe there's a place in
Arizona or New Mexico where there is water somewhere and no one living
there. Even an Idaho potato field would work.

On the flip side, again, I had a freshman (14-15 yr. olds) english
class, Friday, that was so well behaved that I wrote a page of
compliments to the teacher and thanked the students as well. Not only
were they well behaved, but they were interested in the assignment
(finding language devices in "Romeo and Juliet") and found it a
challenge to come up with good examples. I love that teacher and her kids.

Pam S.

"Tanada" wrote in message
ink.net...


David Yehudah wrote:
I prefer a new technique brought into some of the local schools. It's
called in-school suspension. All who get it are put into one room. All
they're allowed to do is homework. They cannot speak to one another, and
they cannot speak to the aide who is baby-sitting them. It normally only
takes one day to straighten out the most hardened thugs. If they don't,
they get sent to an alternative school that is full of thugs just like
them. The regimen is harsh.

I wrote a magazine article a few years ago in which I suggested that
those who didn't want to learn be sent outdoors to play kickball or any
other time-wasting activity. That way the rest could get the education
they are being cheated out of now by a few chronic losers.


ISS (in school suspension) depends on who is in charge of that class
room. I've seen it work well, and seen it be a fiasco. At one school
the person running it was a coach and made sure that none of the
athletes got ISS. Another one would talk tough, but let the kids have a
party once they were in the room. But then I've also seen one where the
teacher would leave a running tape recorder whenever she had to leave
the room and woe betide the student caught talking when she came back.

There are days when I get so tired of teaching the 5% of students who
don't want to behave that I'd like to ship them to their own area where
they can't disturb those who want to learn. Maybe there's a place in
Arizona or New Mexico where there is water somewhere and no one living
there. Even an Idaho potato field would work.

On the flip side, again, I had a freshman (14-15 yr. olds) english
class, Friday, that was so well behaved that I wrote a page of
compliments to the teacher and thanked the students as well. Not only
were they well behaved, but they were interested in the assignment
(finding language devices in "Romeo and Juliet") and found it a
challenge to come up with good examples. I love that teacher and her
kids.

Back when my parents were kids, there was a place for kids who didn't want
to learn book learning - it was called technical college. Instead of being
bored stupid by the standard curriculum they were trained in the practical
trades from the start of 'highschool' so that at 16 they were capable
assistants/apprentices of electricians, carpenters, plumbers, fishermen etc
etc etc. Whilst my mother and father were good "book learners" my Uncle was
one of those kids who couldn't sit quietly in the classroom and ended up
going through the technical college and joining the merchant navy. He ended
up as the Harbour Master of Port Kembla, which probably doen'st mean alot ot
you folks, but its one of Australia's largest and busiest industrial ports,
and there is no way anyone could ever accuse him of being stupid in any way.
But his "smarts" didn't come from books, but from *doing* and they still do.

Everyone's brain isn't wired up the same way, but the current school system
insists that all kids conform tot he one curriculum and style of teaching. I
don't know what its like in other places, but my 12 years of schooling was
entirely and totally designed to pass the School Certificate and hten the
Higher School Certificate to get into Univesity. In fact, if you didn't
*apply* to go to University, you couldn't sit the higher school certificate!
But not everyone wants or needs to go to univeristy and some really valuable
careers don't have any need for advanced dtudies in shakespseare or partial
differentiation.

Joel is like my Uncle in that he learns by doing and simply can't sit in a
classroom all day being still and quiet. I"d never accuse him of being
stupid, though. He has a vfocubulary thats larger than mine (and thats
saying something) and can do maths in his head quicker than anyone else I
know. He's pretty good at fixing stuff around the hosue, and I think he'll
make am excellent although thorougly unconventional Dad. Yet, because he
didn't make it through school far enough to get his School Certificate (the
lowest level of education) he finds it very hard to get work and is
considered "dumb" by society's standards because there is no alternative way
of judging a child's adult potential besides the school system (or sport,
sadly).

There are always going to be those individuals who are lazy and
uninterested, even as kids, but I suspect that if you took alot of those
'troublemakers' and 'underacheivers' out of the "academic" environment and
instead put them into something where their strengths and talents were
recognised and valued by society at large, there would be alot less problems
in schools - the "book learning" kids would be free to learn the book way,
and the "practical" kids would also be learning in a way that suited them.
And neither type would be "better" than the other.

Yowie
(Who can't put Ikea furniture together but can work out the "Golden Ratio"
from first principles. Which one is more useful?)

"Yowie" wrote in message
...
"Tanada" wrote in message
ink.net...


David Yehudah wrote:
I prefer a new technique brought into some of the local schools.
It's
called in-school suspension. All who get it are put into one room.
All
they're allowed to do is homework. They cannot speak to one
another, and
they cannot speak to the aide who is baby-sitting them. It
normally only
takes one day to straighten out the most hardened thugs. If they
don't,
they get sent to an alternative school that is full of thugs just
like
them. The regimen is harsh.

I wrote a magazine article a few years ago in which I suggested
that
those who didn't want to learn be sent outdoors to play kickball
or any
other time-wasting activity. That way the rest could get the
education
they are being cheated out of now by a few chronic losers.


ISS (in school suspension) depends on who is in charge of that class
room. I've seen it work well, and seen it be a fiasco. At one
school
the person running it was a coach and made sure that none of the
athletes got ISS. Another one would talk tough, but let the kids
have a
party once they were in the room. But then I've also seen one where
the
teacher would leave a running tape recorder whenever she had to
leave
the room and woe betide the student caught talking when she came
back.

There are days when I get so tired of teaching the 5% of students
who
don't want to behave that I'd like to ship them to their own area
where
they can't disturb those who want to learn. Maybe there's a place
in
Arizona or New Mexico where there is water somewhere and no one
living
there. Even an Idaho potato field would work.

On the flip side, again, I had a freshman (14-15 yr. olds) english
class, Friday, that was so well behaved that I wrote a page of
compliments to the teacher and thanked the students as well. Not
only
were they well behaved, but they were interested in the assignment
(finding language devices in "Romeo and Juliet") and found it a
challenge to come up with good examples. I love that teacher and
her
kids.

Back when my parents were kids, there was a place for kids who didn't
want
to learn book learning - it was called technical college. Instead of
being
bored stupid by the standard curriculum they were trained in the
practical
trades from the start of 'highschool' so that at 16 they were capable
assistants/apprentices of electricians, carpenters, plumbers,
fishermen etc
etc etc. Whilst my mother and father were good "book learners" my
Uncle was
one of those kids who couldn't sit quietly in the classroom and ended
up
going through the technical college and joining the merchant navy. He
ended
up as the Harbour Master of Port Kembla, which probably doen'st mean
alot ot
you folks, but its one of Australia's largest and busiest industrial
ports,
and there is no way anyone could ever accuse him of being stupid in
any way.
But his "smarts" didn't come from books, but from *doing* and they
still do.

Everyone's brain isn't wired up the same way, but the current school
system
insists that all kids conform tot he one curriculum and style of
teaching. I
don't know what its like in other places, but my 12 years of schooling
was
entirely and totally designed to pass the School Certificate and hten
the
Higher School Certificate to get into Univesity. In fact, if you
didn't
*apply* to go to University, you couldn't sit the higher school
certificate!
But not everyone wants or needs to go to univeristy and some really
valuable
careers don't have any need for advanced dtudies in shakespseare or
partial
differentiation.

Joel is like my Uncle in that he learns by doing and simply can't sit
in a
classroom all day being still and quiet. I"d never accuse him of being
stupid, though. He has a vfocubulary thats larger than mine (and thats
saying something) and can do maths in his head quicker than anyone
else I
know. He's pretty good at fixing stuff around the hosue, and I think
he'll
make am excellent although thorougly unconventional Dad. Yet, because
he
didn't make it through school far enough to get his School Certificate
(the
lowest level of education) he finds it very hard to get work and is
considered "dumb" by society's standards because there is no
alternative way
of judging a child's adult potential besides the school system (or
sport,
sadly).

There are always going to be those individuals who are lazy and
uninterested, even as kids, but I suspect that if you took alot of
those
'troublemakers' and 'underacheivers' out of the "academic" environment
and
instead put them into something where their strengths and talents were
recognised and valued by society at large, there would be alot less
problems
in schools - the "book learning" kids would be free to learn the book
way,
and the "practical" kids would also be learning in a way that suited
them.
And neither type would be "better" than the other.

Yowie
(Who can't put Ikea furniture together but can work out the "Golden
Ratio"
from first principles. Which one is more useful?)

I agree whole-heartedly, Yowie. My Dad was probably the smartest person
I've ever met. However, he was a very slow reader, and would score
poorly on an IQ test for that reason. After he finished high school, he
worked on a dairy farm, then a chicken farm, and finally he found his
true calling as a carpenter. He built three rooms onto our family
house, and one of my greatest treasures is the bookcase he built for my
first home. It has to be bolted to the wall here, because the walls are
straight. They weren't in the house it was built for, so he built it so
it would fit snugly against the existing walls. He also had various
hobbies, some of which displayed incredible manual dexterity. At one
point he made a great deal of beautiful jewelry, using mostly agate
which he dug up himself, and silver. Another of his hobbies was
repairing and restoring antique clocks. Often it is impossible to find
a part for an old clock. In that case, he would make the clock himself.

A high score on an IQ test and a college education are nice things, but
neither is a sole indicator of intelligence or worth.

Joy

Another of his hobbies was
repairing and restoring antique clocks. Often it is impossible to find
a part for an old clock. In that case, he would make the clock himself.

Your dad sounds exactly like my DH. He has restored antique clocks for 20
years, they are beautiful. We have 27 + 2 grandfather clocks right now that
were rescues from garage sales, flea markets, auctions. (Speaking of which,
daylight savings time (tonight) is always a pain in the *ss at my house)

A high score on an IQ test and a college education are nice things, but
neither is a sole indicator of intelligence or worth.

Absolutely. A college education, a high IQ, etc. are worthless without a good,
old-fashioned work ethic and ambition.

Sherry

Joy

itty (Sherry ) had some very interesting things to
say about Mom [OT]:

Another of his hobbies was
repairing and restoring antique clocks. Often it is impossible to find
a part for an old clock. In that case, he would make the clock himself.
Your dad sounds exactly like my DH. He has restored antique clocks for 20
years, they are beautiful. We have 27 + 2 grandfather clocks right now that
were rescues from garage sales, flea markets, auctions. (Speaking of which,
daylight savings time (tonight) is always a pain in the *ss at my house)

I can imagine! I hate it enough here. [cue semi-annual "standard,
daylight, split the difference, I don't care, just pick something AND
STICK WITH IT!!!!!" rant :-)]

--
"Don't mess with major appliances unless you know what you are doing
(or unless your life insurance policy is up-to-date)." - John, RCFL