Could it be I am 1st

First, I claim first my right of quicker.

Nuts, I'll give this one to you JFKerry, as long as you are not the Vietnam vet Kerry that is running for President with 249 other Democrats!! LOL

Said Congressman Karl Marx (D-Russia), "I'm glad my comrades..er..colleagues recognized my contribution to the philisophy of our Party."

...and they only candidate you have is Bush...ha ha....ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!

Donkey, just remember, he who laughs last, laughs best! Who's in the White House??? LMAO

'This administration has continued on this failed policy of allowing the top 10 percent of office seekers to keep their campaign funds. I propose on the other hand to take all these campaign funds and put them in what I call a ''lock box'' to preserve them for future generations of office seekers' - Al Gore

I'm surpised about CMB's fundraising...one would suppose she has a lot of cash stashed away from her lavish African trips whilst a Senator. I'm sure she accepted more than a few "gifts" from the kleptocrats she befriended.

She sure has a nice smile...which is the one psoitive thing I've heard about her campaign,

More importantly...Go Lance!!! Drive for Five!!!

Has CMB remembered what her college major was?

Probably Communications or Education.

Bless her heart, I hope it was communications. The other thought is unbearable.

Have you ever worked with Education majors? I have, and it wasn't pretty...

(standard disclaimer) Not that they're all bad - my daughter in law is getting her Masters in Ed. because she would have to take most of the coursework to get certified to teach anyway. And she's smart and a hard worker.

But watching them try to pass the CBEST is scary.

Ah, almost steped in in there Cassandra .. goo thing you put in the small print as old Frodo has plans to get his masters in education!

I am disappointed in both of you, supporting that sexist, elitist Masters program. If you want a Masters education, you should check out all of the publicity I received just being a hyperventalating beeach about a so-called women's rights issue.

'Well, I've received numerous donations from cross dressing neo-nazi's who have sex with their fathers girlfriends, and I don't have a problem sharing the wealth with like minded candidates' - Jerry Springer candidate for senate.

Frodo:

I'll process your financial aid form, TA or VA benefits form any time. I was just appalled at what I saw when I used to work for a CA university. Any school would be lucky to have you.

I was not very clear. My comment was aimed at the requirements, not the students. It's pretty scary when a Masters candidate has trouble passing 8th grade-level English and Math tests.

And FWIW, if your state lets you get a Masters in a subject area and take one or two Ed classes, that would be even better. My daughter in law has to take 4 classes on how children learn to read.

What a waste of money. Why not just give them a Hooked on Phonics class and skip the 4 semesters worth of "learning modalities" BS.

Phew...I feel so much better now.

If you want to learn to read, call Hooked on Phonics at 1-800-abcdefg.

Of course, if you can't read, good luck making that call. Marketing geniuses they aren't.

Actually, I think my state is one of those that requires you to have a degree in education to teach ... so your children's math teacher isn't a graduate in mathematics.

You might be amused by this story, I was in a reserve professional development class with a officer who's regular job was a 3rd or 4th grade school teacher. One day as she was preparing her class presentation I started pointing out her numerous spelling errors and jokingly asked her how she could teach if she couldn't spell, at which point she explained in great detail why spelling isn't important in teaching.

I live in a state (same as KJ) that requires a high school teacher to have a degree in their subject, and a number of education classes plus the NTE to get provisional certification. Within 10 years of certification, you must have a Master's degree. Either in your sudject or in education.
I majored in Biology, minored in Chemistry. I later picked up a minor in math.
Now I'm a lawyer.
Maybe next I'll get into a respectable job like used-car salesman or pimp.

... so your children's math teacher isn't a graduate in mathematics.

Thank God - it's hard to imaging a worse disaster than that :)

Yes, I used to take malicious delight in sending back my children's spelling tests when the teacher had marked a correctly spelled word (mind you - this is one of the spelling words, not something chosen at random) as incorrect. I had a huge red pencil that I reserved for this purpose.

My favorite one was the word "40", which my 2nd grade son spelled "forty" and the teacher corrected to "fourty".

He was also told that "healthier" is not a word - he should use "more healthy".

Sure hope I don't have any typos in this post...

Teachers using the proper words (even if misspelled), and using proper grammar, is more important to me than spelling. Of course, I say this because I am not (and never have been) a good spellar.

That said, teachers should require students to learn to spell properly, require handing in properly spelled papers, and for goodness sakes, look in the daggone spelling book before marking a correctly spelled word wrong. That is just stupid! I hope she wasn't ugly, too, God bless her.

I misspell on my posts a lot. Sometimes intentionally (see "spellar" above) or a simple typo, but usually not. If I were filing this with a Court, I would have it spell checked and look up the bigger words if I was unsure. Our teachers should do the same before sending something home with a child that makes the teacher look stupid.

Sign of a decadent society, or the next hit reality show?
Check out "Hunting for Bambi" on fox.news.

SRG, your choices aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, I think I see evidence of both every evening I turn on the TV.

In my state, for some oddball reason, the higher the grade you teach, the less education you need. An MEd is required for elementary school, but not for middle or high schools. This may explain why Bob Graham thinks there's only 5 letters in deceit, being also from the state of liquid sunshine.

Saw that on the Fox site yesterday ... was thinking of starting an office pool to see who could predict when the first lawsuit was filed when one of these girls takes one in the eye.

It's all fun and games until someone looses an eye.

Then its really funny.

Cassandra - '... so your children's math teacher isn't a graduate in mathematics.

Thank God - it's hard to imaging a worse disaster than that :)'

Ya ... my nephew had a beaut for an Algebra teacher, one of those who came from the esteem is more important then anything school. He was getting it all wrong but the teacher was passing him along because he tried! My sister ended up going to night school to refresh her memory on the topic so she could teach him the correct way.

...but he FELT he was good at Math...

(actually I'm sure he was smart enough to know the difference)

In defense of Math teachers everywhere, the failure rates are so high in Math classes that they get unfavorable reviews because their D/W/F rates are high compared to Women's Studies and Intro to Macrame.

No allowance is made for subject matter difficulty or the fact that 90% of the students are woefully unprepared going in. I tutored and taught study classes in Algebra, Intro to Stats and Probability, and Calc for SocSci and there were people in those classes who couldn't add, much less handle simple algebra (y = mx + b was like Sandskrit to them).

I've always thought there should be entrance testing for math classes - you can't enroll until you can demonstrate mastery of the basic concepts needed to pass the class. I tried holding my breath for this to happen, but I turned blue, passed out, and had a hallucination in which I solved Fermat's Last Theorem.

When I woke up, I couldn't remember the answer, but I sure FELT smart...

Your self-esteem must have been very high. And isn't that what is really important?

Used to tutor math, and teach an SAT prep course. Very depressing.

The really depressing thing is that after my kids get out of college I'm actually considering taking a massive salary cut and teaching Math.

I sure hope they have extra-strength Prozac at Costco.

Cassandra - 'In defense of Math teachers everywhere, the failure rates are so high in Math classes that they get unfavorable reviews because their D/W/F rates are high compared to Women's Studies and Intro to Macrame.

No allowance is made for subject matter difficulty'

I had the same complaint about the National Honor Society ... at least half the members at my school (in the dark days of yore) were straight A students ... in typing, drama, basic math and science ... those of us getting B's in Physics, calculus, chemistry were not selected. My self esteem has suffered to this day.

I recall a girl who got beat out for Valedictorian of my graduating class. She had a fabulous GPA in typing, choir, math for dummies, english for dummies, etc.
She couldn't understand why she couldn't be valedictorian when she had the same grades as the girl who got it, and had been taking calculus, independent study chemistry (for college credits), physics, English Lit, etc.
"My grades are just as good!"

Bah.

Your schools had valedictorian? Isn't that harmful to everyone else's self-esteem? If you are going to do that, then everyone should tie.

Actually, I can attest to the fact that the kids in my school were so stupid, that I was valedictorian even with my B's in AP English and Spanish (hey, it was a foreign language to me). No one else in my graduating class could get consistent A's in advanced math classes.

Then, when I went to college thinking I was some smart math dude, I took a calculus placement exam with the thought of skipping a class or two. Ouch! I didn't recognize the questions, much less the answers. My high school math knowledge was exhausted after the third week of the first semester.

Well, I got beaten out for valedictorian when I got my first AA degree. I had the highest GPA, but I just didn't have an inspiring life story. I lost out to a guy whose parents put him on a boat from VietNam when he was just a baby and a guy who had a bad back but finished school anyway.

The funny thing was, someone felt so bad about this that they created a "special" award just for me for having the highest GPA. They couldn't fathom that I wasn't upset at all - it's not like I had been planning to run right out and have "Class Valedictorian" tattoo'd on my []....

Before you ask, I did NOT major in typing, Conversational English, or French braiding.

What?! You didn't sue them? What kind of American are you, if you don't try to assuage your deep emotional scars by getting a nulti-million dollar settlement from the school?

tsk, tsk.

My high school "valedictorian" award was striaght up objective GPA. No discretion, and no distinction for easy/hard classes. But, the "award" was really meaningless. You see, in years past, an easy subject girl beat out a college prep girl for valedictorian by taking typing, home ec, etc., her senior year. The college prep girl threw a fit. So the solution for my public high school was to quit having the victor speak at graduation. That policy was still in effect when I graduated. So the world was saved my "let's go fix the world and take care of the less fortunate" speech.

I did have "I am a Valedictorian" tattoo'd on me. For some reason, people at the beach think my name is "Ian" ;)

Huked onn fonix werks fer mi.

SRG: No, those are not very respectful. A burglar/encyclopedia salesman is better.

'I think you want to sell me an encyclopedia.' 'No, I just want to steal some things. That's all, no encyclopedias.' (a successful encyclopedia salesman)

Cassandra: You should have been prescribed cash... ;>)

...and they only candidate you have is Bush...ha ha....ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!

Posted by: Donkey Jockey on July 16, 2003 09:02 AM

Good one Donkey Jacka$$, that's like saying, Lance Armstrong is the only American in the 'Tour De France'! His is ALL we need!

I wish you all would quit with all of the "Hooked on Phonics" references. I WAS hooked on phonics for several years. After months of detox and therapy, I was finally free. My motto is one letter at a time.

I may have to hire SRG, as ya'll or hurting my esteem.

Danjo
GO MARINES!

PS: ya'll is southern and was placed for KJ

Danjo:

As a defender of Southern heritage (except for slavery, lynchings, Jim Crow and that stupid flag), allow me to point out that "y'all" is a combination of the northern "you" and the collective reference to "all." Thus, the apostrophe should recognize the shortening of the "you", but the "all" retains its complete form. Thus, "y'all" is proper, whereas "ya'll" is improper.

Thank you.

KJ, PhD in apostrophes and defender of selective things cool about the South and some border states

Here's one for you to ponder:

A school system in central Ohio named Jewett-Scio had as it Valedictorian a child with mental retardation in about 1998. There were no differentials or demarcations and the esteem of this youngster was so important that the child got all A's. What a situation for the district.

OOOOhh the irony. As someone who works with special needs children and is constantly railed against for being "too honest", I feel the policy of

"Speak the Truth, in love"

is often overlooked.

That's absurd. 'Too honest'?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? There's no such thing as too honest.

Do you think?

Many of my compatriots will tell a family their child has a "learning disability" when really their child has a global processing deficit (i.e., mild mental retardation). The agony of the decision of what to tell a family, how they will interpret it, whether they will be hostile, whether it makes ANY difference what the label is in the final analysis, what is the best way to enable comprehension, etc. is an agonizing business.

Everyone believes that THEIR child will be the valedictorian. When something goes wrong, few are willing to hear, many are willing to blame.

Too honest is a dangerous route, ask the Apostles.

I was Valladictorien at my Prep School.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jones, young Bobby had the cognitive ability of a turnip, and his highest employment aspirations would be working as a speed-bump."

No such thing as "too honest"?

You just have to massage it a bit, SRG.

"If you drug him enough to keep him still, he could work as third base at Wrigley. It will keep him warm, what with all the day games, and he will get to watch a lot of free baseball. Doesn't that sound great?"

Ken Stein - 'No such thing as "too honest"?'

Ya, I'll remember that the next time Mrs. Frodo asks me:

a. Does this outfit make me look fat?
b. Do you think that bgirl is pretty?
c. Do you want to spend some quality time at home tonight, or go are you rather play softball?

Frodo:

Do you get the same deer-in-the-headlights look my husband does when asked question # 1 (I never bother with #2 - if he looks for more than a second, I assume the answer is yes)?

Backing up to the valedictorian comment, in our school, the guy with the 1400 SAT got beaten for valedictorian by a girl who too the usual assortment of breathing-for-credit courses. What made it so funny is his speech was first, and hers was second. His was the usual quick, nervous, "go out there and win" kind of speech. Hers was this light, airy-fairy thing, and inside it, she said she wanted to be a "Christian veterenarian". 25 years later, I still have no idea what that means.

Never saw her again, either. I imagine she's got four kids, smokes, and has her arm up some horse's butt....and that's before she has to go to work, too.

My wife never asks the question, "does this make me look fat", cuz' once I answered, "No, its the fat that makes you look fat".

Answering an unfair question with an unfair answer can have interesting and volcanic results. Fortunately, she laughed thus reinforcing why I love her.

Well, I don't have to answer any of those questions yet. I'll probably change my mind about 'too honest' in five seconds flat when I do. I did not mean 'too blunt'. That can have supercritical (as in nuclear) results, never mind volcanic.

At the risk of giving away one of life's great secrets, one acceptable answer is,

"Honey, it's not bad (unless of course it is hideous) but your dress is much more flattering on you. I love the way you look in that dress"

Now you have told her what she wants to know (is the dress flattering on her) and paid her a compliment at the same time.

Just don't say what my husband once said to me in high school when we were dating. I had bought a dress I NEVER would have chosen on my own thinking it would please him:

"Well...it's a nice dress, but it was designed for someone with a bit more cleavage". This was NOT what the average 17 year-old girl dreams of hearing :)

should have been:

your (insert description here) dress is much more flattering on you. I love the way you look in that dress"

Guido: your wife sounds like a gem.:)

You know, equating Democrats with Communists is exactly as creative and accurate as calling Republicans Nazis.

That is, not at all.

True, most democrats are really only socialists playing lip service to democracy (subject to the whims of liberal judges or executive orders of Dick Ghephart).

I haven't seen any references to Democrats as Communists on this story. It is 'exactly as creative and accurate as calling Republicans Nazis', though, just as you say. There are some extremists on each side, there always will be, and there always have been.

Now, calling them Socialists, that's a bit more accurate.