10-Opinion
10 The News-Press
May 23, 2013
opinions / yours and ours
As tassels turn, students punch their tickets The book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss is often gift-wrapped by wellwishers and then unwrapped by graduates. The title is suitably upbeat for a celebration. After all, the line that follows “Oh, the places you’ll go!” is “There is fun to be done.” Later the story reads, “KID YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!” We appreciate the spirit of the season. Graduation commencements are so fun, and the rows of students all look so brilliant. “You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead,” the book assures us. But we take a moment to pause and remind the graduates — younger students take note — that the book also states, “You will come to a place where the streets are not marked,” and “When you are alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.” So students of all ages, tighten your
our view belts and prepare well. About 40 percent of Colorado’s high school class of 2011 needed remedial courses, although down from 41 percent the year before. And at four-year-level schools in the state, the retention rate for students not assigned to remediation was 79 percent, compared with 60 percent for those needing remediation. That’s not good, and it costs money — a lot of money. The estimated cost associated with remedial courses was about $58 million in 2011-12, with the state’s share at $19 million, according to the Colorado Department of Higher Education 2012 Legislative Report on Remedial Education executive summary. Critics can say by the time students
question of the week
What movie do you most want to see? Colorado Community Media visited Reinke Bros. in downtown Littleton and Hollywood Theaters at the Streets at South-
glenn recently to ask people what movie they’re most looking forward to seeing this summer and why.
“ ‘The Great Gatsby.’ I think it’s a good role for Leonardo DiCaprio, because he seems like him already.” — Amy Taylor, Great Barrington, Mass.
“ ‘The Hangover 3,’ because it resembles my life. I’ve got to be happy, and I’ve got to do what I can to get by.” — Scotty Buchanan, Centennial
“ ‘Star Trek Into Darkness.’ I saw the first one, and I really liked it. And somebody said they characterize Spock and Kirk without caricaturizing them.” — Jan Taylor, Littleton
“ ‘Star Trek Into Darkness.’ I just think they’ve done a great job, and they’re doing a prequel, and they’re bringing back the original characters but with new faces. And it’s family-friendly.” — Greg Reinke, Littleton
have graduated from high school they have already gone a lot of “places” — academically — compared with other countries, such as China, where electives are fewer and core skills are stronger. The world doesn’t wait for everyone to be road ready or then provide a smooth ride. So to the students who have a good idea of a place they want to go, we encourage them to follow their ambitions without reservation. To the rest, don’t be swayed by the notion that there is this vast amusement park of career fields to sample after high school before committing. Instead consider making a choice with 4G speed, and don’t back away from your instincts by the idea that you might not want to stay in that chosen field for a lifetime. The somewhat questionable general statistic that the average American will experience seven careers in a lifetime can be comforting or disturbing — depending on your point of view. We say ignore it, dig
‘Go time’ is time to get up and go This week there were a couple of quotes or sayings that for whatever reason I had heard repeatedly. The first one was, “If it were easy everyone would be doing it.” And the second saying was, “Good things come to those who wait, but not for those who wait too late.” I saw these words of encouragement in emails, and one was highlighted in a book that a friend had sent me. Other friends and associates used them on different calls and meetings. Coincidence — or am I being sent a message? The timing could not be better as I have been putting off some major decisions, projects, and goals. There has been so much going on that the excuses seemed easier than the activity required to get things accomplished. It’s go time. Time to get after things,
You can learn a lot in a traffic jam. You can learn a lot about people when you’re parked on the freeway. You can find out where someone went to college, or where someone wishes they had gone to college, by their decals. Is it a misdemeanor to pretend you went to USC? I think it should be a misdemeanor to attend USC, but that’s because I went to UCLA. The Trojans are as lowlife as Chinese raccoons. I saw an “I Like Ike” sticker on a Corvair. I figured the driver would be a seniorsenior citizen. He wasn’t. It was a kid who was playing drums, or pretending to. I’m sure he was listening to The Who. The illegitimate son of Keith Moon. We like to use our cars to preach to many choirs. Our car signs reflect strong opinions about the government, specific politicians, the economy, jobs, firearms, immigration and same-sex marriages. I never see stickers that advocate drain cleaners or Q-tips. Now and then I see a fish on legs. A Sturgis sticker. You know what that means. There are also comic bumper stickers. Bumpers are a good place to show others that humor, wit and satire are much more difficult than most people realize. I have watched a few minutes of Craig Ferguson and I just stare. Our bumpers enable us to think that we are amusing by acquisition, rather than by fact. You can buy humor, you just can’t do it on your own. That’s why we have laff riot greeting cards. I return all laff riot cards to the senders. “I’m not 40. I’m 18 with 22 years of experience.” “Have an udderly wonderful birthday.” The card shows a picture of a cow. If that made you laugh, please put down this column and go put on an apron.
Here are some of the funniest bumper stickers out there right now. I don’t know who voted. Shecky Greene? Red Buttons? Blue Moon Odom? “Hang on to something.” “Be nice to America or we’ll bring democracy to your country.” “Fat people are hard to kidnap.” “Don’t worry what people think. They don’t do it very often.” “Hang up and drive.” I guess that’s not really meant to be funny, is it? It’s just a hopeless hope of mine. “‘Ewe were meant for me,’ the sheepherder said.” “My child is an honor student.” You knew there would be a backlash. “My zombie ate your honor student.” “My Brittany is smarter than your Brittany.” There’s pith too. “If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention.” “The one who loves least controls the relationship.” “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” Kierkegaard said that. “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” This beauty, attributed to Gandhi: “An eye for an eye makes the whole world Smith continues on Page 11
time to stop daydreaming and getting lost in aimless thoughts and trying to come up with one more creative excuse. It’s go time. Is it “go time” for you? You see, I know where the starting line is, I know how to get myself fired up and ready for action. I am also typically selfNorton continues on Page 11
Letter to the editor survey doesn’t tell whole story
Bumper stickers bore, score
into a direction and dig in. Do your best to see that your courses are accountable to provide the training for the needed skill sets and the knowledge to understand the changing world. Learn as much as you can, and be competitive in earning door-opening good grades. So that’s our skinny to students on their journeys. And a final thought — in contrast to “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” which has the words “you” or “your” more than 100 times — the future can be less self-centric and involve a direction to help someone or to seek an important answer. The words of neurologist Viktor Frankl, author of “Man’s Search of Meaning,” sometimes find their way into some of our favorite commencement speeches. “Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual,” he wrote. Oh, the people you can help.
In a recent edition of the paper, the school district lauded a survey in which teachers said they enjoyed their school environment. Unfortunately, the survey did not ask a single question about what teachers felt about the school district as a whole or the school board. In fact, the district actively ignores an earlier survey which did ask teachers about the district and school board and in which the teachers did, indeed, say they were incredibly dissatisfied by the direction of the district — indeed, only 14 percent said they were happy with the culture and direction
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of the district (and in talking to teachers, that number seems incredibly high). Funny how the board ignores that. But if you really want to know what teachers think of our district — ask them. Not in an email, where the district will read it and then use their answers to fire them, and not in a group setting where their words can be twisted and used against them, but one-on-one and face to face. Then you will find the truth about what is happening in our district — no survey needed. Christina Marriott Highlands Ranch
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