last one talking wins

     Tired of the graduates of saloon school, who view life as an intellectual contest, to be won by the person who talks loudest, longest, or with the greatest display of emotion.

middle school

     Middle school has been the norm for years now, replacing the older junior high in many areas. Teachers in Pennsylvania are certified to teach either grades 7 through 12, or grades 1 through 6. So a middle school for grades 6 through 8 has to have two sets of teachers to remain a state-accredited school--one set of elementary teachers, for the grade 6 pupils, and one set of middle or high school subject teachers, for grades 7 and 8.  These rules are often "bent" for practical reasons. The middle schools need a real-life solution.

once upon a time

    When you go to vote this year, you will be just one voter among many--every citizen 18 and over, except those sentenced to more than a year for a  felony conviction. Once upon a time, you would have been one of a more select group--white male property owners, at least 21 years old. What percentage does that make? Well, the women, in general, make up half the population, so we are left with 50 %. Of these, about 20% will be under 21. We are left with 40%. Let's estimate that 20% of these are non-white. We are left with 32%.  How many of these owned property? That meant land or a large sum in cash. Let's estimate that 20% of the remainder did not own  property. We are left with 25 voters out of every 100 persons.

Britishisms

     Too many Britishisms ( by people I assume are American ). When I read the paper, I often encounter a British word or phrase used by an American writer. "Ten years on",  "bespoke suits", "spot on", and other phrases are everywhere. Next I'll pick up the paper and read "lorry" for truck, and "tube" for subway. Not to mention "kerb" for curb and "honour" for honor. Didn't we already fight two wars over this?

old people

     If you listen to enough young people, you will eventually hear ( or overhear ) the conversation of at least a few young people who have no idea what an old person is. They don't have an idea of how long people live. They may never have met anyone old enough to have gray hair. They don't understand that old people may not see or hear as well as they once did, or that they might have difficulty getting around. These young people must have been raised by parents who never introduced them to their grandparents--the parents' parents.
     If you work with young people, or know young people, try to introduce them to some old people. They might find one another interesting.

summer vacation

     School students will be on vacation for the next two months. Recent research shows that kids who don't learn anything over the summer find school more difficult in September. So how about learning something new every day--using the internet?  If the student is old enough, it could be recorded on a blog or social media.

it does if you listen closely

     Have you ever met anyone from another planet? Are you sure? I heard some young people describe someone as a "being from another planet". I assumed they meant that the person was odd or strange, perhaps even in a good or admirable way. Not so. The same young people were overheard to describe another person as "from another planet, but not from the same planet that she ( alien # 1) is from . Oh. They meant continent. The first alien was a European, the second alien was from Australia. The kids are all right.