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The cartoons on this page is used for educational purposes by Dr. Nilsson, South Texas College, scanned, from The Monitor, McAllen.








MY TURN COMMENTARIES
Wiesenfeld, K. My Turn: MAKING THE GRADE (Newsweek) It was a rookie error. After 10 years I should have known better, but I went to my office the day after final grades were posted. There was a tentative knock on the door. "Professor Wiesenfeld? I took your Physics 2212 class? I flunked it? I wonder if there's anything I can do to improve my grade?" I thought: "Why are you asking me? Isn't it too late to worry about it?
Shaw, E. My Turn: IS THIS WHAT LIFE'S ABOUT? (Newsweek) It's 7 or 8 o'clock before I get home at night. After 12 hours of running around, I still don't have time to unwind. I wolf down dinner, usually microwaved soup or cold cereal, by myself as my family has already eaten. Then I stagger off to complete my day with more studying...
OTHER COMMENTARIES
Malkin, M. Commentary: FAILING SCHOOL? ... call an attorney. (The Monitor) "Unfair" is the same gripe that came from the parents of a high school senior at Sunrise Mountain High School in Glendale, Ariz. When their daughter flunked a required English class, which she needed to graduate, Mom and Dad did the natural thing in a no-consequences world: They hired a lawyer... Whiny parents wonder why public schools have abandoned standards, forsaken accountability and...
Lance-Chester, B. Commentary: Parents see red over color of ink teachers use. (The Monitor) ... in 2081, when everyone is finally equal... All this equality was enforced by the Handicapper General so that average folks wouldn't "feel like something the cat drug in". ... Forget learning to spell, write five-paragraph essays or do long divisions: Yes, our children are all ignorant, but man, do they feel ever good about themselves! ... Some children are better at certain subjects, sports and activities than others... To pretend otherwise, to say that all answers are correct, to reward them just for showing up instead of succeeding, is to set them up for a hard life in the real world.
Santa Ana, R. Watch this space: Man, was I glad to get my daughter out of public schools. (The Paper of South Texas) Well, the teacher didn't show up so we just kind of goofed off... We didn't have a substitute, she replied. We just didn't have a teacher... And how often does this happen, that your teacher doesn't show up?... Oh, I don't know. It's happened a few times this semester... I knew she would object, so I didn't tell my daughter I was going to the principal the next morning to discuss this. I should have saved my breath and aggravation. The principal wasn't the slightest bit interested in what I had to say... It's no wonder our schools are doing poorly; there is a huge lack of oversight in public schools. Nobody is held accountable for anything.
Navarrette, R. Commentary: Oprah reminds us that success requires work, sacrifice. (The Monitor) ...some Americans complained that Oprah should have built her school back home... I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools (in the United States) that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn't there. If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don't ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letter to the Editor Why that 'piece of paper' matters. (The Monitor) ... thinks a doctorate is not necessary because it is just a piece of paper... Let me set one thing straight: Pieces of paper are in our everyday life from the day we are born to the day we die. Here are seven reasons a piece of paper is necessary...
Letter to the Editor Action finally taken at PSJA. (The Monitor) But realistically, let's compare classrooms here (even PSJA classrooms) to those in other countries. Foreign students dance rings around our children when it comes to math and thinking skills. Enough! Changes need to be made and accounting demanded pf those in charge, including teachers.
Letter to the Editor Cheaters caught eventually. (The Monitor) We tell that to kids all the time. If they are helping themselves to answers from others or if they are just playing the game instead of really working the puzzles, they are the ones who lose out... ... And after all, isn't that what life is all about? Getting the grade? Making the money? Buying the stuff like the watch, the purse, the car?
Letter to the Editor High schools coddle students. (The Monitor) The current high schools system... ...pampers the high school students every day with reminders of future exams and daily assignments... My professors were not going to constantly remind the students every day when an exam would take place; it was up to the students to follow up with the course syllabus... A simple solution to this problem would be to easy off, cut the cord and let the student be the maters of his or her own destiny.
Student of the Week
Student of the Week UTPA: May 25, 2003. A.M. Hall. (The Monitor) It is not easy to make it through eight straight hours of studying, but sometimes that is what it takes. It is not easy to fight for something that you are not sure to win, but you have to try...
Student of the Week STC: May 16, 2004. K. Hatton. (The Monitor) I didn't really have any challenges... I studied a lot to prepare for the material the instructors gave me... Work really hard. You can't get anywhere if you don't study...
Student of the Week STC: September 12, 2004. S. Hernandez. (The Monitor) ... the transition from high school to college has been a positive experience with a dose of reality. "You don't have teachers reminding you that there's going to be a test, or you need to get your homework done". In college, at STC, it's your responsibility." ... If you're not responsible in your studies, it's not going to affect the teachers. It's entirely up to you.
Student of the Week UTPA: May 16, 2004. B. Ashley-Fridie. (The Monitor) Understand hard work is part of the course of life in order to be successful and there will be sacrifices made to obtain each level of that success; however, the rewards will be grand.
CHRIS ARDIS COMMENTARIES
Ardis, C.
(April 16, 2002.)		 Commentary: Schools must make students earn grade. (The Monitor) ... Teachers don't give grades. Students earn them... So often when our kids today complain that something is too hard or not fair or against their rights, we fix it so that it is easy for them, far too easy...
Ardis, C.
(April 15, 2003.)		 Commentary: Grading in high school, college unalike. (The Monitor) ... While high school teachers check a student's completed homework, college professors often do not. However, they expect students to be able to perform those homework tasks on an exam. In preparation for exams, high school teachers frequently conduct some form of review sessions for students. This rarely occurs in college...
Ardis, C.
(November 11, 2003.)		 Commentary: Students hits the nail on the head. (The Monitor) Each year we pamper our high school students more than we did the year before. We write every assignment on the board. We remind students every day leading up to the due date. Then, if the due date arrives and they "forgot" to turn in the assignment, we just take points off when they turn it in the next day, or the next.
Ardis, C.
(November 16, 2004.)		 Commentary: Parents, teachers liable for students' education. (The Monitor) ... shouldn't the student ultimately be accountable for his or her grades? This should be a learning process at the elementary level. That is when this accountability should first be taught. By the time the child reaches middle school, this should be obvious. And by the time the child reaches high school, who else but the child should ultimately be accountable?...
Ardis, C.
(September 19, 2006.)		 Commentary: Living in an instant message world. (The Monitor) Today we are living in an IM (instant message) and text messaging world where the rules of English do not exist. The problem is that many students are having a difficult time understanding that there is a difference between IM/text talk and academic writing...
Ardis, C.
(April 03, 2007.)		 Commentary: Keeping up with attendance. (The Monitor) How many students fail classes because of their absences and their failure to make up missed work?
VARIOUS MONITOR ARTICLES ON EDUCATION
Editorial. Where were the high schools? Vast numbers of graduates need remedial courses in college. (The Monitor) It's becoming clear that -- thanks to epidemic grade inflation, social promotion and years of the education establishment emphasizing self-esteem over achievement -- a vast number of students being accepted by the states two major universities lack the proficiency to do college level work, no matter what grades they've been awarded in high school... kids -- having consistently seen A's and B's on their high school report cards -- are shocked to learn they are in no way prepared to do college work... What difference does it make where the GPA "bar" is set, if even those earning A's would be laughed out of their freshmen year at any self-respecting university in Europe or Japan?
Dodge, R. No Child act won't leave high school students behind. (The Monitor) Attention future high school students: President Bush says things are going to get a lot harder... ... Simply stated: Graduates lack the skills and education to take on college work or enter the workplace.
Berghom, J. Online courses a popular choice for college students (The Monitor) In fact, students at STC told the New York Times earlier this year that they've chosen to take more classes online because it's getting harder to fill up their vehicle's tanks.
Crary, D. Study finds rising narcissism, selfcenteredness among college students. (The Monitor) We need to stop endlessly repeating 'Your'e special' and having children repeat it back.
Photo: © Jan A. Nilsson, 2004. Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, Jan A. Nilsson. Page created 15.V.1999, last updated 04.X.2008, most likely during the wee hours of the morning on a G3 PowerBook owned by Jan A. Nilsson. Web page layout and design © and intellectual property Jan A. Nilsson. Content on Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved. Except for educational purposes and 'fair use' (see below), reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited. If used for educational purposes and 'fair use', including photographs, source must be given. (Some clip art, texts and backgrounds used on Dr. Nilsson's CyberOffice downloaded for educational purposes and/or 'fair use' from Internet free domain has no source.)
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