Comments for Buhner.com

Comment on “Learning” versus Understanding by Tom

Tom — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:46:08 +0000

Yeah — I guess my experience with public school is really screwed up because of the size of the one I went to (hint: # of your fingers > # of students in my graduating class) and the two excellent English teachers I had.

Part of me would have loved to teach English, but the reality of it is that I would run into the same frustrations you ran into when you taught, except I have a hell of a lot less patience, so yeah — that wouldn’t end well.

I guess the thing that concerns me most is when I look at Facebook and see people I went to high school with — people who I used to compete with in writing contests — writing like they’re illiterate. It’s this type of regression that seems to prove that they never learned to write — they just learned how to use “the template” and once they got out of school breathed a sigh of relief that they didn’t have to do that crap anymore.

Then again, I tend to think everyone is like me. I’m beginning to learn that I’m a little bit different.

Comment on “Learning” versus Understanding by Baroness Heather

Baroness Heather — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:05:43 +0000

I agree with your points, but unfortunately, the people who write the standardized tests do not. Also, there are things like, when I taught high school English, my 12th graders were on about a 6th grade reading level. They honestly didn’t know that there was a past-tense or any other tense for that matter to the verb “to run.” I run today. I run yesterday. I run tomorrow.
The sad point is that the kids who are going to college, who will go on to write anything longer than an address on an envelope EVER again, are in the minority. I used to have workshops for the college-bound kids to teach those more abstract concepts like “You don’t actually have to re-state the question in order for your answer to be a complete sentence,” while during the day, I’d have wept with joy if the class as a whole could even identify the verb.
Furthermore, I’ll spare you my ranting on standardized tests, which only want students to memorize and regurgitate information they don’t comprehend because the poor teacher has not been given the latitude or time to teach it in-depth.

Comment on I Saw Mommy Being a Sl… by The Buhner.com Blog »

The Buhner.com Blog » — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 17:19:47 +0000

[…] el=“bookmark”> Filed under: Regular Blog — Tom @ 12:19 pm Two years ago I wrote a post about the “wholesome” Christmas song I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, revealing it for wh […]

Comment on Damn the LazyTown. by Jax

Jax — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 16:14:50 +0000

Come on, this will probably be the first christmas you have with him where he can act excited! You should go all out.

Comment on post-Thanksgiving post by Jax

Jax — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 16:13:09 +0000

So besides Turkey, what did you have?

Comment on 15 Minutes by Jax

Jax — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 16:11:15 +0000

You didn’t think it was because people just randomly found you.

Comment on 15 Minutes by Bailey

Bailey — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 17:32:27 +0000

I guess that explains why during that week I got 15–20 friend requests from people scattered all across the country.

Comment on 15 Minutes by Jax

Jax — Mon, 21 Nov 2005 19:30:54 +0000

How long has that been Amanda? 3 years?

Comment on 15 Minutes by Amanda

Amanda — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 19:40:36 +0000

I must be mean. I would have rejected all of them offhand — I rejected all seven I got who came to my profile from yours, based on the fact that they were strangers.

Then again, I’ve been doing this whole Internet-community thing since I was 12, and I don’t feel like playing the game.

Comment on 15 Minutes by Jax

Jax — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 18:12:41 +0000

I can’t believe you didn’t save the Guam chick for me. You know I am proffesional!