Stupid People. Why Are There So Many?
When an emergency vehicle with flashing lights and a siren is on the road, all the decent intelligent people on BOTH sides of the road pull over to give it plenty of room to pass.
The drivers who take this opportunity to speed past all the pulled-over vehicles to get in the front of the line of traffic? Honestly, I can’t think of a word that is disgusting enough to accurately describe these people. I think we can safely rule out “decent” and “intelligent,” however. I’m sure these are the same people who disregard stopped school buses with the “STOP” arm across the road, mowing down little schoolchildren and then telling the judge, “I didn’t see no bus, and where did them kids come from?”
I’m reminded of a jury I was on once, years ago.
I seriously do not do well with stupid people. Dear LORD, I do not do well with stupid people.
And I can’t think of a single good reason any of us should have to. Nope, not even one.
(“Stupid people” are NOT the same thing as “disabled people.” Don’t even try to go there with me. I would only berate you for your lack of reading skills.)
Waddle, Waddle, Pee, Pee. . . .
I remember being pregnant with my daughter.
I felt wonderful. It was almost euphoric.
Except. . . that I had to pee every ten minutes, except when I was at school, in which case I had solid classes from 7:45 until 12:30, and again from 1:00 until 3:30, and my classroom was a good quarter-mile from a restroom.
I can remember sitting at my desk at 12:35 and 3:35 afraid to move, because I was so scared I’d pee somewhere besides a bathroom. (I have a thing about peeing anywhere except in a bathroom.)
Finally, I’d muster enough courage to stand up and begin waddling down the hallway. The first restroom I got to was invariably closed for cleaning. Honestly? I think the janitor watched for me and hurried to put out the yellow cones and lock the doors. No amount of knocking or begging would help, so I quickly learned not to bother breaking my stride. If I stopped and then tried to go again, I might “go.”
The next restroom was the one in the faculty lounge. The women’s bathroom was almost always occupied by the resident immensely obese teacher that every secondary school is legally obligated to have, and she was there for the duration. If she wasn’t in there, the janitor was; I think he crawled through the vents to get to the restrooms and close them, just so I couldn’t pee.
That is why, almost every day at 12:45 and 3:45, I would be found emerging from the men’s restroom with a big smile on my face.
We had a couple of other female teachers who regularly emerged from the men’s restroom with a big smile on their faces, too, but it wasn’t for the same reason.
My baby was due the third week of May, so I had a sub all lined up, plans made, copies copied, everything ready.
Somebody forgot to tell the baby, though; she didn’t show up until June 15.
I worked until the end of the year and even went to a couple of auctions after school was out. The day before she was born, I fired up the riding mower and cut the grass.
My point? I don’t think I ever apologized to the sub who didn’t get to work after all and didn’t get paid.
Sorry, Sub. Them’s the breaks.
I feel so much better now.
P.S. Don’t forget to enter this CONTEST!
When Did "Valedictorian" Cease To Be An EARNED Honor?
The latest Carnival of Education is up and it would behoove us all to go there and read up on the state of education in our country.
I’ve always thought ‘behoove’ was a funny word. It’s a good word, but it’s funny. Lots of really good words are also really funny words. Sometimes, words are even funnier when you know their origins.
I might be ready to go back to school.
Speaking of funny stuff, and school, does anybody else think it’s really funny (not the amusing kind) that so many high schools choose their valedictorian and salutorian after only seven semesters? Their excuse is, amusingly enough, still that it ‘takes so long to compute the averages, so the counselors have to stop counting grades after seven semesters to give them enough time to get it done.” Only in educational jargon, of course, so it doesn’t sound so stupid. And after seven semesters, a lot of students drop the hard academic courses because, well, why bother with them since the school stops counting the grades after Christmas of your senior year? Honestly? I’m really glad many colleges have started asking for the full eight semesters of grades. Neener, neener, loser quitter kids.
The fact is, high schools should not start averaging grades for honors purposes until the last day of school. In this age of computers, it only takes a few seconds to find out who has the highest average, and unless there is some kind of politics involved, which of course is ridiculous, there shouldn’t be any problems whatsoever. A lot can happen in one day, you know, and the competition for valedictorian shouldn’t be over until the fat lady sings on the last day of school. The honor would mean a lot more if it went to the student who earned it EVERY day, not just seven semesters’ worth of days. And if a few students are neck-and-neck up until the last few seconds of the last period of the last day of school, so be it. Honors mean nothing unless they’re earned fairly.
It’s not like the results will take anybody by surprise, you know. All the kids know who deserves the honors; it’s just a few adults who feel the need to manipulate the numbers so certain people get the kudos.
The valedictorian should be the student with the highest average in actual non-accommodated academic subjects. The salutorian is second. And I really don’t care who their parents are, how many clubs they’re in, whether or not they’ve ever been in detention, or if they’re even likeable or not.
It should be a strictly earned points honor.
That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.
