The following paragraph was posted in the guestbook of my hometown newspaper’s website. This is an area of a few small towns along the NY/PA border. It just screamed for commentary, so I added a few observations below.
"I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE REGENTS TEST IN NEW YORK STATE. PATAKI CAN MAKE EVERY CHILD TAKE THESE TEST BUT HOW MANY OF CHILDREN ARE NOT GRADUATING IN N.Y. STATE. I HAVE HEARD SENIORS SAY THEY WON'T EVEN TRY BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY WON'T MAKE IT, INSTEAD THEY ARE TAKING THEIR GEDS BECAUSE THEY CAN PASS THEM. COME ON PEOPLE GET TO GATHER AND WRITE TO YOUR CONGRESSMEN OR WHOMEVER IT TAKES TO STOP THIS ABUSE TO THESE KIDS. NOT ALL CHILDREN CAN GO TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND TUTORS AND IT IS JUST UNFAIR . ITS NO WONDER THE KIDS ARE KILLING THEMSELVES, THEIR BRAINS ARE BEING OVERWORKED BEFORE THEIR TIME. PLEASE HELP PUT A STOP TO THIS. LET KIDS BE KIDS AND QUIT PUSHING SO HARD FOR THEM TO GROW UP. GO BACK TO NON-REGENTS AND THE WAY IT USE TO BE. EVEN SOME OF THE TEACHERS ARE HAVING A HARD TIME TRYING TO TEACH IT. NOT ALL KIDS ARE THE SAME OR STOP TRYING TO MAKE THEM BE."
Apparently this is from somebody on the NY side of the border. Let's take a look at some points:
1. The writer has mastered turning on a computer and getting on the net, but hasn't figured out how to release the caps lock.
2. "I HAVE HEARD SENIORS SAY THEY WON'T EVEN TRY BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY WON'T MAKE IT, INSTEAD THEY ARE TAKING THEIR GEDS BECAUSE THEY CAN PASS THEM." So kids who have been slacking off in underachieving government schools are bailing and taking the easy way out. Where's the news in this? A genuine diploma carries more weight, so a sensible approach would be to take the exit exam first, and then if the results were unsatisfactory go the GED route. Where are the parents who are letting the kids opt out? Sheesh!
3. "COME ON PEOPLE GET TO GATHER AND WRITE TO YOUR CONGRESSMEN OR WHOMEVER IT TAKES TO STOP THIS ABUSE TO THESE KIDS." Testing kids to see if they have acheived a minimum standard is abuse??? What does the writer think the kids were supposed to be doing in school?????!!!!!
4. "NOT ALL CHILDREN CAN GO TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND TUTORS AND IT IS JUST UNFAIR." Here the writer hits upon the fact that government schools in liberal states tend to be inferior. Rather than demanding a return to acheivement and excellence she wants the standards lowered. Typical liberal sheeple. I went to public schools and did OK. Notice how I can go back & forth between UPPER CASE and lower case letters?
5. "ITS NO WONDER THE KIDS ARE KILLING THEMSELVES, THEIR BRAINS ARE BEING OVERWORKED BEFORE THEIR TIME." Kids are killing themselves because they have to pass an exit exam to get a diploma? Shocking!!! (And in all probability FALSE!). At what age does the writer want people to begin using their brains? We're talking people who are around 18 years old here. If they're old enough to vote, don't you think it's high time to use that walnut in their craniums? I can guarantee these kids are not being "overworked." The real problem is that they've been coddled and allowed to slack off; over the past 12 years the "system" set them up for failure.
6. "LET KIDS BE KIDS AND QUIT PUSHING SO HARD FOR THEM TO GROW UP." Pushing them to grow up? How about expecting them to learn to read, write, and do a little math after 12 years of schooling! Is that unreasonable??? Besides, they're now young adults. Let them be adults rather than demand that they be granted an extension on their childhood.
7. "GO BACK TO NON-REGENTS AND THE WAY IT USE TO BE." Does this mean give them a diploma for showing up? Shouldn't a diploma mean that a person can perform to a specified level? BTW, it was the lowering of standards and accountability that led to the need for these tests. See how it chases its tail?
8. "EVEN SOME OF THE TEACHERS ARE HAVING A HARD TIME TRYING TO TEACH IT." Teachers trying to teach the test? Is that what this means??? Wouldn't that be a tad unethical, and possibly illegal? Or does it mean that the teachers are having trouble teaching the fundamentals throughout the school year? Are the teachers also victims of lowered standards and now they are playing catch-up?
9. "NOT ALL KIDS ARE THE SAME OR STOP TRYING TO MAKE THEM BE." Well, they do have "special" classes for the kids who can't hang with the standard curriculum.
10. The writer inadvertently reveals a lot about herself. For one thing, I'm sure that she feels she has written some intelligent commentary, but such opinions truly are in the eye of the beholder. 'Nuff said there.
It's a nice place to visit, but...
Stupid people should not be allowed to breed.