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JanSz
03-24-2008, 08:02 PM
War ended may 1945 (in my neighborhood).
1945-1949
I was attending one room, four grades, grammar school.
Most boys were bare footed, few also during winter months.
Ended up designing and operating Nuclear Power Plants in USA.
Had a situations similar to Johnny and Mark, below.
My parents did not sue my opponent parents.


In 1979, after TMI accident, design and construction of 200 Nuclear Power plants was stopped.

It would be much easier to discuss oil shortage had we had these 200 and possibly another 200 by now.

Situation below explains some of the reasons why we have to kiss asses of our enemies.
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SCHOOL -- 1958 vs. 2008

Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1958 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2008 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario : Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1958 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2008 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario : Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students .
1958 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2008 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario : Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1958 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2008 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psycho logist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.

Scenario : Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1958 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2008 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario : Pedro fails high school English.
1958 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English , goes to college.
2008 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario : Johnny takes apart l eftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1958 - Ants die.
2008 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario : Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1958 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2008 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

.
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Headdoc
03-29-2008, 05:25 PM
some of these scenarios strike close to home. In 1957, I was in the 7th grade. The school bully, who was also training with his professional boxer dad, took something from one of younger brothers. This brother started to cry and I knew I couldn't ignore the situation. I told the guy, who was with his entourage, to see me outside. He starts to bait me and talk about rules or protocol. I walk up to him and hit him as hard as I could in the face and then throw him into a head lock. I held on for dear life and I knew I was no match for him. Luckily some adults broke us up. He wants a rematch after school and announces the place and time. I never showed. I knew that the little bit of speed and surprise were the only chance I had. He did a little teasing and then just let it go.

A few months later we end up working in the same Saturday morning math tutoring class. The same was true for most of his entourage as well. He and I put together a study group to get thru the 8th grade New York State Regents exams. Grades come up for all of us. The fight was mentioned again humorously. We gave each other "shit" about it till we graduate.

Not only has I made a friend, I learned that strong feelings, including fear need not dictate action.

Headdoc
03-29-2008, 05:34 PM
Handwritting is a lost art. When I was in grade school, we practiced an hour a day. The nuns used to carry around a wooden ruler and smack your hand if you wrote with your left hand. They eventually just accepted the fact the they could now convert a few of us left handers. Furthermore, when they transitioned the cursive to the use of pens...you had to use a fountain pen. This forced you to write legibly and efficiently.

Recently, I paid attention to my handwritting becoming sloppy. I picked up a fountainpen and am rehabing my handwritting.

Now this may seem to be superfluous. However, it's not. Teens today abandon cursive and print--in efficiently. A recent study indicated that when handwritting is accessed for clarity and efficiently in primary grade, this skill translated in the clarity and efficency of expressing ideas that are put into writting. Whoda thought?!? Pensmanship counts after all!

cpeil2
06-27-2008, 01:11 PM
1958 - I was in first grade:

We had:

music class
art class
PE class
a gymnasium
a library staffed by a librarian
an auditorium
a school nurse
an annual physical done by the school district
dental exams done by the school district
shots and immunizations at school
school lunches of real food that cost $.25.


2008: Zip . . .


Also we had religious education. If your parents signed the permission slip, the school district bussed you to church for the last hour of the school day for religious education every Monday. I have asked others about that and nobody remembers it. It might have been peculiar to that region of the country - upstate New York.

Now, I think that would be considered an unconstitional involvment of the state in religion.