#60 House Shoes, SAT Writing

Remember when I said I had more than 110 pairs of shoes?  Well, my favorite 8-year-old spongy sandals (maybe $5 retail), that I wear around the house constantly, fell apart the other day.  The sole is two layers of spongy stuff, and the crisscross straps go through the top layer and are glued between the glued-together top and bottom layers.  The two layers came apart on BOTH shoes, and the straps were flopping loose on one.  I got out my trusty Shoe Goop and clothespins, and repaired them.  They'll probably be good now for another five years.   And THAT's why I have 110+ shoes.   Most of my shoes are 1/4 Shoe Goop!

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An NPR radio program did a story a few days ago on how the new college board test requires that an essay be written, and they said it had to be longhand, written in the room, during the administration of the test.  Preprinted essays would not be accepted.

Now, I had sort of assumed that people who listened to and wrote letters to NPR were a bit above average in intelligence.  (I should know better than to assume.  Mensa got their biggest membership surge in history as a direct result of an article and sample test in "Readers' Digest" - an example of the reverse assumption being incorrect.) 

I have been proven wrong about NPR listeners.

The program got a lot of irate letters from people who were really angry about the story, well, actually about one aspect of the essay requirement.  The announcer read a batch of the letters aloud in a quite serious and respectful tone, but he had to be giggling inside.   

One after another of the writers offered argument after argument as to why the kids should be allowed to print the essay if they wish.  Some kids never learn cursive, and printing is just as good.  After all, hand printing is easier to read than cursive, "That's why garage sale signs are always printed...."  They wondered why the colleges would insist on cursive, and why they would be interested in the kids' handwriting, anyway, since we all know doctors and lawyers are famous for bad handwriting, but they obviously succeeded in college.  And so on.

I would have been cracking up if I wasn't so horrified at the stupidity.

This was while I was on my way to pick up NJKC for dinner Thursday evening (see previous post).  After she got in the car, I was telling her about it, in pretty much the same words as above, and when I said I was horrified at the stupidity, she responded "Yes.  I don't know why the colleges would require nice handwriting, either.  That IS stupid.  They don't teach it in school anymore.  A lot of kids print everything.  I don't see why it matters as long as you can read it."

I was dumfounded.   Sigh.

I am assuming that Daughter and the few friends who may read this understand that it was the letter writers (and, sob, NJKC) who displayed (what Daughter in her grosser persona calls) a brain-fart, not the college board.  But - I have to be careful of my assumptions, I guess....  

Oh, foo.  Let's be safe.  The letter writers were silly in assuming that the SAT was testing the student's cursive handwriting.  They misunderstood the "longhand" requirement.  The word "write" meaning "to compose" is apparently confusing to them.  The SAT wants to test the student's ability to COMPOSE AN ESSAY!!!, on the spot.  The kid can hand print, draw the letters, demonstrate the fanciest calligraphy, it doesn't matter, as long as it is on the SAT-provided paper, in the kid's own hand, produced at the time of the test, and can be read.  Sheesh!