Most Likely to Stay in the County
I am discovering a phenomenon peculiar to this burg: rewarding everyone without regard to ability, effort, or talent. My Bitter Half was required to bestow an honor upon each pupil during the school's Awards Day. Everyone. No matter that a third of his little cretins regularly misspelled their own name on their papers if they didn't omit it entirely. Save for maybe three or four cringing overachievers, the powers that were "stacked" his class with some real jerks and slackjawed nose-pickers. He was encouraged to come up with bogus awards for handwriting, or the School Spirit Award. (I think he gave out four of those.)
Even more laughable was the school Science Fair. Get this: awards were given for each class for first through fifth place. As many as three kids could work on a project. There are often only 17 or 18 kids in these classes, so they'd all get ribbons. Anyone who didn't 'place' got a ribbon anyway for participation. In addition, the judges were (of course) local, and somewhat less than impartial, or perhaps truly clueless. There were comments on the judging sheets about how "cute" the "decorations" were. Scientific progress evidently goes, "Awwwwww."
Even more laughable was the school Science Fair. Get this: awards were given for each class for first through fifth place. As many as three kids could work on a project. There are often only 17 or 18 kids in these classes, so they'd all get ribbons. Anyone who didn't 'place' got a ribbon anyway for participation. In addition, the judges were (of course) local, and somewhat less than impartial, or perhaps truly clueless. There were comments on the judging sheets about how "cute" the "decorations" were. Scientific progress evidently goes, "Awwwwww."
spoken by Sister Morpheme at 10:51 PM
4 Rants:
Were there any science projects on evolution? (No, don't tell me - I already know the answer).
Awards:
1) initiate the Golden Road Apple awards. Well-formed road apples (in ample supply) + application of gold spray paint.
2) come up with names for awards that are not totally dishonest but without PTB figuring out what they really mean. Call this series "Mountainair Postmodern"
"Best Workaround Artist"
"Creative Rationalization"
"Simulated Attentiveness"
"Least Informed Nihilist" (tough competition for this one)
In all fairness, there was *one* really solid project about the flammability of different sealants/coatings on pine. In such a fire-prone region, this is useful, thought-provoking information.
The potato clock, however, was another story.
My reaction to one solid project but awards for all no doubt dates me: give out just ONE award. Withhold all others for not meeting standards.
No, I did not walk miles to school barefoot in the snow - but have taught enough to know that the young recipients start off knowing when they are being given empty awards. It reinforces their dawning impression that they can't trust anything big people tell them. After a while, they get used to it and come to expect awards any way they can get them. I prefer the earlier reaction.
A Word A Day has some wonderful quotes with it:
There is also an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth,
without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a
mischievous ingredient in government, and provisions should be made to
prevent its ascendancy. -Thomas Jefferson, third US president,
architect
and author (1743-1826)
http://wordsmith.org/awad/
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