Comments on: Disturbing http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/disorderly/ Thinking and Linking by Joanne Jacobs Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:20:20 +0000 hourly 1 By: Meera http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/disorderly/#comment-33054 Meera Wed, 02 May 2007 11:10:34 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/28/disorderly/#comment-33054 This goes to show how shallow, low teachers can get. I hope this comes to no surprise for those that know how much the US is failing our children. This goes to show how shallow, low teachers can get. I hope this comes to no surprise for those that know how much the US is failing our children.

]]> By: Richard Aubrey http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/disorderly/#comment-33053 Richard Aubrey Tue, 01 May 2007 19:28:48 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/28/disorderly/#comment-33053 Cody Webb--late of Hempfield, PA--was put into juvie for twelve days because the morons running his school system hadn't adjusted the clock on their switchboard to DST, and the state police, presuming more intelligence on the part of public school administrators than is prudent, didn't check. Against all evidence, they figured he'd made a bomb threat. And the juvie authorities wanted to make him get a mental evaluation because he wouldn't admit it. My suggestion is, in addition to huge sums of money from the school system in general and certain Peter Principle principles in particular, that Webb be allowed to wear a tee shirt proclaiming "Hempfield School Administrators are IDIOTS!!!" for the rest of the year. But he's being homeschooled and the 'crats at Hempfield are at a loss as to why. Cody Webb–late of Hempfield, PA–was put into juvie for twelve days because the morons running his school system hadn’t adjusted the clock on their switchboard to DST, and the state police, presuming more intelligence on the part of public school administrators than is prudent, didn’t check.
Against all evidence, they figured he’d made a bomb threat.

And the juvie authorities wanted to make him get a mental evaluation because he wouldn’t admit it.

My suggestion is, in addition to huge sums of money from the school system in general and certain Peter Principle principles in particular, that Webb be allowed to wear a tee shirt proclaiming “Hempfield School Administrators are IDIOTS!!!” for the rest of the year.

But he’s being homeschooled and the ‘crats at Hempfield are at a loss as to why.

]]> By: The Florida Masochist » Blog Archive » The Knuckleheads of the Day award http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/disorderly/#comment-33052 The Florida Masochist » Blog Archive » The Knuckleheads of the Day award Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:57:03 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/28/disorderly/#comment-33052 [...] one of Joanne Jacobs commenters said, Lee’s writing is a steaming pile of manure. Here are the guidelines for the [...] [...] one of Joanne Jacobs commenters said, Lee’s writing is a steaming pile of manure. Here are the guidelines for the [...]

]]> By: The Bullwinkle Blog » Blog Archive » The Knuckleheads of the Day award http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/disorderly/#comment-33051 The Bullwinkle Blog » Blog Archive » The Knuckleheads of the Day award Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:54:19 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/28/disorderly/#comment-33051 [...] one of Joanne Jacobs commenters said, Lee’s writing is a steaming pile of manure. Here are the guidelines for the [...] [...] one of Joanne Jacobs commenters said, Lee’s writing is a steaming pile of manure. Here are the guidelines for the [...]

]]> By: Dave J http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/disorderly/#comment-33050 Dave J Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:01:48 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/28/disorderly/#comment-33050 "I can’t muster much sympathy for this kid. Based on his paper, he sounds like a grade-A jerk." True, but last I checked being a jerk wasn't a crime, and writing crap wasn't DOC. Maybe Illinois' criminal statutes differ dramatically from the Florida ones I prosecute, but they can't be THAT different. “I can’t muster much sympathy for this kid. Based on his paper, he sounds like a grade-A jerk.”

True, but last I checked being a jerk wasn’t a crime, and writing crap wasn’t DOC. Maybe Illinois’ criminal statutes differ dramatically from the Florida ones I prosecute, but they can’t be THAT different.

]]> By: ricki http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/disorderly/#comment-33049 ricki Sun, 29 Apr 2007 18:35:28 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/28/disorderly/#comment-33049 I certainly don't see anything in the essay that suggests this kid is going to become "another Cho." This is exactly the kind of stuff a bored, burned-out high school senior would write. He did it just to get a rise out of his teacher - and that's what happened. I think the whole "free writing" thing as an assignment is a bad idea, anyway. Give the kids some kind of topic guidance! My WORST high school essays were the ones where we were given little guidance...my BEST were the ones where we had some kind of "ground rules" to play by. "Free writing" may work as a way to get ideas (that is - it is writing not for 'public consumption') but it's kind of pointless as a class assignment. I mean - if you're gonna tell the kids, "Just write about anything, even if you have to write "I don't know what to write,"" you might as well hand them a can of spray paint and point them to the first blank brick wall. I certainly don’t see anything in the essay that suggests this kid is going to become “another Cho.” This is exactly the kind of stuff a bored, burned-out high school senior would write. He did it just to get a rise out of his teacher – and that’s what happened.

I think the whole “free writing” thing as an assignment is a bad idea, anyway. Give the kids some kind of topic guidance! My WORST high school essays were the ones where we were given little guidance…my BEST were the ones where we had some kind of “ground rules” to play by.

“Free writing” may work as a way to get ideas (that is – it is writing not for ‘public consumption’) but it’s kind of pointless as a class assignment.

I mean – if you’re gonna tell the kids, “Just write about anything, even if you have to write “I don’t know what to write,”" you might as well hand them a can of spray paint and point them to the first blank brick wall.

]]> By: Walter E. Wallis http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/disorderly/#comment-33048 Walter E. Wallis Sun, 29 Apr 2007 18:19:23 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/28/disorderly/#comment-33048 His one mistake - had he written this about Cheney, he would have been given an A+. His one mistake – had he written this about Cheney, he would have been given an A+.

]]> By: JuliaK http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/disorderly/#comment-33047 JuliaK Sun, 29 Apr 2007 17:30:13 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/28/disorderly/#comment-33047 The Sun Times has a copy of the assignment, copied from a book on free writing. Pertinent guidelines are: Write nonstop for a set period of time. Do not make corrections as you write. Keep writing, even if you have to write something like, "I don't know what to write." Write whatever comes into your mind. Do not judge or censor what you are writing. (cut) Don't cross anything out: Write the new idea down; leave the old one. Drop all punctuation. That can make your free writing faster and more fluent. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070426writing-photo,1,201388.photo?coll=chi-news-hed His problem may be that he followed the assignment to the letter. It's not a finished piece of work, and it isn't intended to be. Free writing, as I understand it, is an attempt to write without internal checks, such as a concern for an audience's reaction. I loathe free writing, because I believe it does little to teach writers how to write. One of my junior high school English teachers used it constantly, as a quasi-educational exercise in class, which kept students busy, and freed him to get something else accomplished. It may have a use for adult writers, who want to improve their craft, and can write freely in privacy. Setting these ground rules, and then demanding to see the results, is a violation of a student's trust. Larry Strauss is right. The teacher set him up and sold him out. If her students had all faithfully followed the assignment, many of their essays should have been "disturbing." The Sun Times has a copy of the assignment, copied from a book on free writing. Pertinent guidelines are:

Write nonstop for a set period of time.
Do not make corrections as you write.
Keep writing, even if you have to write something like, “I don’t know what to write.”
Write whatever comes into your mind.
Do not judge or censor what you are writing.

(cut)
Don’t cross anything out: Write the new idea down; leave the old one.
Drop all punctuation. That can make your free writing faster and more fluent.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070426writing-photo,1,201388.photo?coll=chi-news-hed

His problem may be that he followed the assignment to the letter. It’s not a finished piece of work, and it isn’t intended to be. Free writing, as I understand it, is an attempt to write without internal checks, such as a concern for an audience’s reaction.

I loathe free writing, because I believe it does little to teach writers how to write. One of my junior high school English teachers used it constantly, as a quasi-educational exercise in class, which kept students busy, and freed him to get something else accomplished.

It may have a use for adult writers, who want to improve their craft, and can write freely in privacy. Setting these ground rules, and then demanding to see the results, is a violation of a student’s trust. Larry Strauss is right. The teacher set him up and sold him out. If her students had all faithfully followed the assignment, many of their essays should have been “disturbing.”

]]> By: wayne martin http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/disorderly/#comment-33046 wayne martin Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:44:38 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/28/disorderly/#comment-33046 It's good that a link to the essay was posted. As others have noted, certainly nothing to be arrested for. However, from reading it, it seems to me that this essay (and essayist) suffered from the lack of “ground rules” for classroom writing submissions. At a very minimum, it would seem that profanity, violence and lurid sexuality would be off-limits. Setting this minimum bar would seem to have given every one a clear sense of what topics would have been unacceptable, leaving everything else in play. Certainly the teacher, the teacher’s supervisor, and any other academic oversight in that school, need review. I think that this young man is going to exit high school a little richer than when he entered it. It’s good that a link to the essay was posted. As others have noted, certainly nothing to be arrested for. However, from reading it, it seems to me that this essay (and essayist) suffered from the lack of “ground rules” for classroom writing submissions. At a very minimum, it would seem that profanity, violence and lurid sexuality would be off-limits. Setting this minimum bar would seem to have given every one a clear sense of what topics would have been unacceptable, leaving everything else in play. Certainly the teacher, the teacher’s supervisor, and any other academic oversight in that school, need review.

I think that this young man is going to exit high school a little richer than when he entered it.

]]> By: Darren http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/04/disorderly/#comment-33045 Darren Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:31:12 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/04/28/disorderly/#comment-33045 I didn't read the essay so I'll defer to others here who did and who claim that the kid can't write. Yet he's a straight-A student? His "violent imagery" and wussy teacher do not seem to be the biggest problems at that school. I didn’t read the essay so I’ll defer to others here who did and who claim that the kid can’t write.

Yet he’s a straight-A student? His “violent imagery” and wussy teacher do not seem to be the biggest problems at that school.

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