Friday, November 13, 2009

Making the Grade

From Jonathan Turley’s blog (11/12/2009): Alma Market: North Carolina School Ordered to Stop Selling Grades as Fundraiser

Educators at the Rosewood Middle School had struggled with raising money. Candy and other traditional items did not generate much money for the Goldsboro, North Carolina school. Then they found a commodity that the public was hankering for: they started to sell grades. Until, that is, a bunch of do gooders stepped in and objected.

You can read the rest of the post here.


From newsobserver.com (11/12/2009): District nixes cash-for-grades fundraiser



I found this story hard to believe. Still, it inspired me to write the following little poem:

Making the Grade


Hip hip hooray!
I got an A
On my science test today.

In history
I got a B—
Thanks to Mom and Dad. You see…

I made the grade
Because they paid.
I love their new financial aid!


4 comments:

  1. Shepherd rejected the suggestion that the school is selling grades. Extra points on two tests won't make a difference in a student's final grade, she said.

    Perhaps she's unfamiliar with the P in GPA? Um, yeah, it WOULD make a difference!! Talk about financial aid!!!!

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  2. Tanita,

    I find some of the stories that I read about in the paper/on the Internet or hear about on the news hard to believe. This tale is truly one for the books!

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  3. Oh. My. Goodness. This is SO wrong on SO many levels!

    Here's my list of DUHs:

    "exchanging grades for money teaches children the wrong lessons. She also said it is bad testing practice and is unfair to students whose parents can't pay."

    "Students should know that test grades are based on what they've learned"

    "If a student in college were to approach a professor to buy a grade, we would be frowning on that,"

    Oh.My.Goodness....

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  4. Mary Lee,

    There are some things that are truly difficult to believe.

    Here's another unbelievable "educational" story: "School Accused of Terrorizing Students with Fake Murder"

    http://jonathanturley.org/2009/11/14/school-accused-of-terrorizing-students-with-faked-murder/

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