Comments (21) (Please sign in to comment)

1. 

   TrapperJohn said, 8 months ago

   “Vast Government Conspiracy” = “No Child Left Behind”, wherein schools now teach to the LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR so everyone can pass.
2. 

   Pharmakeus Ubik said, 8 months ago

   Just the set up, Trapper. Next will be finishing the privatization of public education.
3. 

   Shyygirl27 said, 8 months ago

   @TrapperJohn

   True, I practically begged the school to hold my son back in 3rd grade and they refused. I took him out and home-schooled him for a year to catch him up.
4. 

   Rug Ratz said, 8 months ago

   My son is very bright, but he refused to do his homework in the past. He has some psychological issues, but he can surmount them. The school would allow him to take MONTHS to turn in old homework assignments. In my age, you maybe had a few extra days, else you got a zero. Yes, his grades are still bad, but I am still amazed. I think it is a lot of the “no child left behind” mentality directly at work here. And I think he is not being helped in this situation. We realize he is most likely not college material, but that is not the only training open to him – trade, certificate, etc. Now we just have to figure out what he wants to do – and it’s his senior year as well … pass the extra strength excedrin please.
5. 

   Doctor Toon said, 8 months ago

   My 6th grade teacher was in her last year of teaching before retirement
   

   
   She had been a great teacher, and was still very good, but I suspect I didn’t see her best days
   

   
   Teaching 6th grade for God-only-knows-how-many years has got to take its’ toll
6. 

   cdward said, 8 months ago

   My fifth grade teacher was in her last year before retiring for our class. She had a reputation of being mean and unforgiving. But the summer before fifth grade, she got married (yes, late in life), and came back to school a completely different person. She was cheerful, fun, and innovative. She still demanded a lot from us, but we wanted to work hard for her. Her husband even came in occasionally – an older guy already retired but smart and witty with great stories to tell. That was a good year.
7. 

   SUSAN NEWMAN said, 8 months ago

   By “government conspiracy”, I wonder if Katy is referring to the budget cuts in education by that porker, Gov. Christie of NJ.
8. 

   charliesommers said, 8 months ago

   @Susan Newman, Gov. Christie was disappointed on a recent trip to Israel when he found out that the Gaza Strip wasn’t a steak.
9. 

   slywlf54 said, 8 months ago

   I suspect Ms Murphy is entirely as sharp as she used to be. I guess Daddy Dearest didn’t read the papers recently where the GOP stated they were not interested in teaching critical thinking skills in school :-(
10. 

    Perkycat said, 8 months ago

    @cdward

    That same thing happened to me with a teacher I had for 2 years. She was a mean witch the first year and nobody could stand her. She got married over the summer and the next year she was great – happy, fun and friendly.
11. 

    Allan said, 8 months ago

    @Rug Ratz

    I’m ADHD/OCD/Learning Disabled/and Opposition Defiant Disorder.
    (ODD makes me fight authority.)
    I was expelled from a Bible Training School (not a college, but they did get on the list of schools for student loans).
    BUT they were 90% lecture, and 10% “hands on” so it wasn’t good for me. This was when I was 21. I knew then, that I wouldn’t be able to do college “for now.”
    I’m turning 32 tomorrow, and am on my 3rd semester of college, and have a 2.7 GPA (Yeah, I know, it’s low for most of you, but I’m damn proud that I have NOT FAILED a single one of my 7 courses so far taken in the first two semesters!)
    Your son may not be able to do College at a traditional “18-25” years old, but, maybe when he is 30, or 40, he will have the ability and/or medical resources to help him through. Even if he only does one semester, he’ll feel better.
12. 

    Linda Dean said, 8 months ago

    @Allan

    Happy Birthday Allan!
13. 

    Shyygirl27 said, 8 months ago

    @Allan

    Happy Birthday. I’m also back in college in my 30s, it didn’t work out when I was 18, 19.
14. 

    pcolli said, 8 months ago

    @Allan

    The important thing is that we should never stop learning. I’ve known women in their 80s who’ve taken degrees and gone back-packing to Asia.
    .
    I have OCD issues and don’t take kindly to being told what to do. I don’t cope well with adrenaline (I’ve been known to pass out if too stressed), so deadlines are out for me. In spite of that, I’ve learned (like yourself) that we achieve things in our own time.
    .
    A friend of mine (in her 30s) decided to stop killing time and enrolled in a Seminary. Now she has the title Reverend. Good luck to everyone who achieves things at any age. Learning doesn’t stop when we leave school, college or university.
15. 

    pcolli said, 8 months ago

    @Allan

    Oh yes….happy birthday.
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