North Carolina Is Going Out Of Its Mind

[Triana]

I have a number of very close friends in North Carolina whom I love dearly, so I ask this in all Christian charity.

WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE LIVING, BREATHING, TATTOOED GOD IS GOING ON DOWN THERE?

Whom did you people elect? The people with the brightest bulbs for a nose? The people with the biggest, floppiest shoes? Does every member of the Republican majority in your legislature all arrive at work every morning in the same tiny car? First, we had the We-Can-Establish-A-State-Religion bill, and then we had the Tax-Yo-Mama-If-You-Vote-Obama bill. Caligula would be ashamed to bring his horse before these people for a vote. And now, because everybody went back to the big steaming bowl of stupid for seconds — and thirds — they have decided to put the force of law and the power of the state behind The Palmer Method.

The "Back to Basics" bill would once again make cursive handwriting a part of the curriculum for the state's public elementary schools. The State Board of Education would be expected to make sure that public schools provide instruction so that students create readable documents in cursive by the end of fifth grade and have memorized multiplication tables.

Wonderful. Why not buy a whole bunch of coal stoves and make every elementary school in the state operate with one room?
Wait, forget I said that.

Read more: North Carolina Cursive Writing Bill - North Carolina Is Going Out Of Its Mind - Esquire http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/Cursive_Foiled_Again#ixzz2QJca9NpU

[gateley]

1. How do they teach kids penmanship these days? (Obviously I'm of the Palmer era.)

And I have to say, knowing the multiplication tables comes in handy a LOT.

[Art_from_Ark]

3. I don't know if I'm Palmer era or not,

but I did learn penmanship in the 3rd grade, as well as multiplication tables, and it was useful to have learned both.

I don't see how this equates with some of the really boneheaded moves of the NC state legislature, like trying to establish a state religion.

[NYC_SKP]

2. Shall I provide valid studies that support drawing and penmanship as critical developmental tools...

... for learners and especially in our technological age?

Because I could. They're out there.

[Archaic]

4. I'm missing the point I think.

What's bad about learning cursive, and math without a calculator?

School is there to fill your toolbox. You learn what tools exist, and where to apply them.

To some cursive is useless. But should the only way people correspond be in electronic form? Nothing says "I love you" like Arial font from a laser printer?

And I work with recent college graduates that are highly technical, but go fetal on you when it's time to calculate a 20% tip. If you are a college graduate, and can't take 10% and double it, you need a smack.

If this is a sarcasm/satire thing, I'm sorry I missed that. Working 80 hours a week will do that to you.

[snappyturtle]

5. Teaching cursive? Good in my book. NC's other mentioned legislation,

not so much.

[Triana]

6. That's my take on it. I have no problem w/ teaching cursive/multiplication tables...

...those are good basics. But some of the rest of the crazy-ass shit the Tealiban leg has proposed or passed is ridiculous. Since he refers to that and I like and can relate to the title of the article (NC has gone out of its freaking mind), I shared.



EDIT: oh look here's some more crazy: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10692258

[PADemD]

7. What's wrong with learning cursive and multiplication tables?

We had that in grade school.

I hope they included phonics, too.

[Triana]

9. Nothing, IMO

I wish they'd teach them proper grammar and spelling,too.

[barbtries]

8. requiring cursive in schools

is probably the only thing the republicans have come up with that i support.

[Shrike47]

10. Being able to add, subtract, multiply and divide is all that separates us oldies from the kids!

[BlueToTheBone]

11. I think that being able to communicate with hand writing is important

I know that most kids don't write but keyboard (we'll probably evolve to account for carpal tunnel) but this could be a Buddhist lesson in emptiness. When electricity is off, then the computer is nothing and there is no written communication, hence emptiness.

It makes me think of pre-history when there was no "written language"...if the lights go out, so will keyboards and their meaning.

I should probably go have more coffee.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

12. Kee-rist, we made Pierce.

Don't blame me. I ran to the polls in 2010 and 2012, but was out-gerrymandered and out-Teabaggered.

[Triana]

13. You and me both.

[CRK7376]

14. None of our kids,

24yo, 19yo, and a 14yo know cursive. All write very well with printing, and it's very painful to watch the boys try to sign their names in cursive. Multiplication tables the kids know, but I do have to challenge the 14 yo daughter fairly often to relook her problems. To me requiring the kids to learn cursive is a waste of time, but it is becoming a lost art unfortunately. As an educator it will definitely makes my job grading history papers/test essays easier than when the kids were wrtiting in chicken scrwal.... I wonder how many of my handwritten letters from Afghanistan did the kids read, or did their mom read them for the kids/ Some of both I suspect. Times change, but this is a waste of energy in our classrooms trying to get the kids to write cursive.

[alarimer]

15. I agree.

Cursive is a colossal waste of time and painful to learn. Teach them how to sign their name and that's it.

I'm just pissed that the legislature is wasting time on this shit.

[struggle4progress]

16. We didn't knock enough doors in 2010 or 2012