Going on three days of near 100-degree weather (105+ if you count the heat index!) Needless to say, I have not been biking to work this week. A 7am ride at 80 degrees would be OK, but the 95+ degree ride at 3 or 4 in the afternoon might be a bit rough. I have also finally changed into my summer teaching wardrobe. On Monday I wore my long-sleeve, button-down shirt with a tie, and nearly died! Today I've got khakis and a three-button short-sleeved shirt, and I feel fine.
Last night at dinner we had scrambled eggs with cheese and chives mixed in. My younger son asked my wife "what do you call those things?" and pointed towards the pan of eggs. My wife said, "those are eggs" to which my son said, "not those, the chives!"
It reminded me of the cartoon with Sylvester the cat trying to catch the mouse (baby kangaroo) for his friend who calls him "George"...
"Why do you call me George? My name is Sylvester?"
"Because I cannot say Sylvester, George."
Finally, my class recently discussed the idea of equality. We talked about Aristotle and Jefferson as examples of theorists who think equality is good, though they have differing views of what constitutes equality. We then talked about Nietzsche and Vonnegut. These two think equality is not a neutral and universal good. Like all ideas, it is a tool employed in the interest of some at the expense of others. Kurt Vonnegut's short story Harrison Bergeron is quite interesting (and an easy read.) Though we haven't started visibly handicapping those who excel (or have we?) there are some signs that excellence runs counter to recognition:
Grapevine student with top grades won't be valedictorian.
The key to this controversy (for me) is here:
Anjali rocketed through high school in only three years.
But a school district policy states: "The valedictorian shall be the eligible student with the highest weighted grade-point average for four years of high school."
The dispute over Anjali's status as valedictorian comes down to interpretation: Does four years mean calendar years of school attendance or does it mean completing the credits it takes most students four years to earn?
You cannot make the argument that it means four calender years. Why? If I took history every class for four years and had the highest GPA I would never be called the valedictorian. Why? I didn't FINISH high school in the process. Therefore, the key is finishing the credits, not the time in school.
I think I'll go put on my little mental handicap radio so I don't have to worry about such things,
Brad
1 comment:
I didn't realize Vonnegut wrote that story. I remember it quite well from middle school. I agree that equality ain't always good, but it always worries me when people apply these ideas to real life. They always seem to end up using them to justify living in opulence when most of the world is in abject poverty. The truth is that greater ability doesn't always (or even usually, perhaps?) lead to better living. Ironically, the character Harrison Bergeron is more like a poor person in a dead-end job.
Maybe it just goes to show what a nonconformist I am, but i couldn't care less about social recognition. Isn't having and using exceptional talents or abilities reward enough in itself? What do you want, a medal?
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