Pickels, Doddles, and Webkinz R awsum

[Nekojin]

Particle Man is indeterminate, anyway.

I just have to ask, though... WTF is a Webkinz? I've rolled that over repeatedly in my head for the last few days, and I just can't figure out what that's supposed to be.

[XCashier]

I would often read far ahead into books because I was faster than my classmates, and once I started reading, I couldn't stop.

I did the same thing! Especially when we were supposed to be reading out loud. Teacher would call on one of my classmates to read, they'd start, "George...Wash...ing...ton...be...came...pres...i. ..dent...in...", droning on slowly in this incredible monotone. I'd tune it out and read ahead.

Then, when the teacher would call on me to read next, I'd say, "President Roosevelt proposed the New Deal in--" notice the teacher and everyone else staring strangely at me, and realize I'd gone too far ahead again!

[protege]

I did the same thing! Especially when we were supposed to be reading out loud. Teacher would call on one of my classmates to read, they'd start, "George...Wash...ing...ton...be...came...pres...i. ..dent...in...", droning on slowly in this incredible monotone. I'd tune it out and read ahead.

*has a bad 8th grade flashback* That year, my awful reading teacher tried to teach us to "speed read." Her method was to use a film strip projector to put a single word on the screen for a few seconds, then was replaced with another word. After a few minutes of this, I fell asleep. Seriously. I could read *much* faster than that

As to not learning history...I was always told that those who don't, are usually doomed to repeat it. Even though the events of WWI were fresh in the minds of people, it didn't stop WWII from starting At least there wasn't a third one, or even a nuke one. I give the powers that be credit for that--after nuking Japan, and seeing the total destruction of 2 cities, nobody has attempted to do that again.

[XCashier]

Same here. I had a teacher who would snatch books away from me b/c I'd finish before the rest of the class, then take me out in the hall and paddle me (she was the same one who tried to say I was possessed b/c I wrote left handed).

That is one seriously fubared teacher. She had no business teaching. She should've pursued a profession more compatible with her personality. "Prison Warden" springs to mind.

What I'd like to do to the kids in the OP is to lock them into a room filled with nothing but books. NO tv, no computer, no stereo. Just books. And they'd have to read all of them before they could leave the room (unless it's a bathroom break.)

I wonder after they finished all those books if they'd still say reading is stupid .

Depends on what kind of books. I don't think they'd be up to War And Peace, or Silas Marner. I'd stock it with books by Alexandre Dumas, Mark Twain, Ray Bradbury, Douglas Adams and other enjoyable authors. Oh, and some comfy chairs, green plants and good lighting. Don't want to make it feel like a prison. In fact, forget them, put ME in that room! I need a vacation!

[Andara Bledin]

Every book I've ever not finished has been a library book. Huck Finn, Thomas Covenant, Red/Blue/Green Mars.

Don't despair over not finishing any of the Thomas Covenant books. Once you've read the first one, you can stop, since every single one after that is just more of Covenant being a whiny, pissy, scared little bitch who won't accept a wonderful new life because it's not what he's used to and I just wish he'd freaking die already.

Yeah, I don't like that character...

I have never finished Little Women. I must have started reading it about a dozen different times over the course of 5 years, but about a chapter in I'd get supremely bored and pick up something else.

And I got about two chapters into the first Lord of the Rings book and put it down to never pick it up again. I wore out a copy of The Hobbit, however, and had a habit of writing the headings for my social studies notes in the runic alphabet that was in it.

^-.-^

[Sofar]

Same here. I had a teacher who would snatch books away from me b/c I'd finish before the rest of the class, then take me out in the hall and paddle me (she was the same one who tried to say I was possessed b/c I wrote left handed)

Did most of your schoolastic career take place in the nineteenth century?

But it's Istanbul, not Constantinople...

'Twas once Byzantium, 'bout fifteen hundred years ago.

[Pezzle]

I actually loved reading aloud in High School. Most of my teachers would have one person read 2 paragraphs a piece and would correct you individually for speaking incorrectly/mispronunciation. Not in a condescending way, but in a very nice and informative way. I really love Kentucky's education system to be perfectly honest.

[jb17kx]

Teacher would call on one of my classmates to read, they'd start...droning on slowly in this incredible monotone. I'd tune it out and read ahead.

Then, when the teacher would call on me to read next, I'd...notice the teacher and everyone else staring strangely at me, and realize I'd gone too far ahead again!

Ah... the memories.
I suffered that all through school, even right up to the point where we were 15 or 16 and teachers stopped the whole “read aloud” thing. I started reading at quite an early age and by year 5 was reading whatever fell into my hands – James Herriot, Tom Clancy, Bill Bryson, anything. I wasn’t as big on the classics though.
In any case, this meant that I had a large head start on most (not all, thankfully) of my classmates. When we’d come to reading aloud kids you’d have thought would have been to get by were droning away in monotones struggling with pronunciation (“resurrect” was one that sticks out for me) and I found it sooooooooooooooooooooooo boring. And when I was selected to read, other kids would come up to me and tell me that I should be a radio presenter (because I’m too ugly for television, geddit?)

Even now as I type this I’m sitting next to a huge bookshelf loaded (as in, books stacked to save space) with all manner of books. Casting my eye over it I see novels by Geoffrey Archer, Lothar-Günther Bucheim, Dale Brown, a Nikon lens, more novels, Bernard Cornwell, Tom Clancy, a book on meteorology, a German road atlas, “Speeches That Changed The World”, “The Illustrated Book of Steam and Rail”, an external hard disk, more novels, and then into the history ‘section’ – Gallipoli, Tobruk, Kokoda, Berlin, Kapyong, Maryang San, etc.
Thank you so much, dad, for the gift you passed on.

[Andara Bledin]

Did most of your schoolastic career take place in the nineteenth century?

I'm actually quite convinced that my ex was originally left handed.

It's pretty rare these days, but even just 30 years ago you had teachers forcing kids to use their right hands predominantly.

Although, in my ex's case, it could also have been that he didn't want to be "different" than the other kids and he forced himself to use his right hand. Even today he's got some major issues with acceptance.

^-.-^

[Nekojin]

...
I still want to know what a Webkinz is. =^_^=

[starla671]

Webkinz are these little stuffed animals that apparently come with codes that get you onto the website where you can do things with it. Like a virtual pet or something. They're pretty popular right now.

[Broomjockey]

I'm actually quite convinced that my ex was originally left handed.

It's pretty rare these days, but even just 30 years ago you had teachers forcing kids to use their right hands predominantly.

30? Try 15. When I was starting school, I had this fun little ability. I would start writing. With my left hand. Then when I got to the centre of the page, I'd switch over to writing with my right hand. My teacher clamped down on that pretty quick, and tried to make me only use my right hand. Being the rebellious little thing I am I used my left hand. I still have a step below chicken scratch for writing, and my right hand is even worse. Thank spirits above and below for computers.

Interestingly enough, I can mouse very well with either hand, and I'm very odd with which hand I use for any given task. The one that blows most people's mind is that I pitch right-handed, but bowl left-handed.

[Gurndigarn]

As to not learning history...I was always told that those who don't, are usually doomed to repeat it. Even though the events of WWI were fresh in the minds of people, it didn't stop WWII from starting

WWII came from a different set of problems. And possibly people learned too much from WWI-- if people had dogpiled Germany/Italy when Hitler started flexing his muscles, it might have been a shorter war.

I'm not too upset with the conclusion, though, so I'm not going to argue the point strongly.

At least there wasn't a third one, or even a nuke one. I give the powers that be credit for that--after nuking Japan, and seeing the total destruction of 2 cities, nobody has attempted to do that again.

More than two cities if you count firebombings into the equation.

[Thrifty]

The ones I want to find the most are "Bambi"

I really enjoyed Bambi the book. Keep looking hopefully you'll find it!

[Sharsarannon]

Oh wait...just about every book is being adapted into a movie these days so I guess that takes care of the problem. But then I even doubt most of these kids even know that a lot of the movies they watch were books first which is very sad indeed. (Grant it, I do enjoy some of these book to movie translations but not without a bit of grousing on my part and most often the book is always better)

Irony here. The hit movie 300 was..... you guessed it.... a book. A graphic novel, actually, so technically a comic book, by the great Frank Miller. (who by the way, also wrote the COMIC BOOK Sin CIty)
About a year or two before the previews for 300 showed up, I was buried to my eyebrows in a hardcover copy of the graphic novel i maganged to find by chance at a comic shop. I got teased a bit for reading comics. How dare I.
Now the novel is in every major bookstore.

Even now as I type this I’m sitting next to a huge bookshelf loaded (as in, books stacked to save space) with all manner of books. Casting my eye over it I see novels by Geoffrey Archer, Lothar-Günther Bucheim, Dale Brown, a Nikon lens, more novels, Bernard Cornwell, Tom Clancy, a book on meteorology, a German road atlas, “Speeches That Changed The World”, “The Illustrated Book of Steam and Rail”, an external hard disk, more novels, and then into the history ‘section’ – Gallipoli, Tobruk, Kokoda, Berlin, Kapyong, Maryang San, etc.
Thank you so much, dad, for the gift you passed on.

The biggest gift my parents ever gave me was never underestimating my capacity to understand something.
For my bedtime stories, my Dad read my sister and I Homer's Odessey. Unabridged. I was FIVE. That was followed by the original Alice in Wonderland, and then a bardic style retelling of Robin Hood, by J. walker McSpadden.
I recieved the book Dinotopia for my seventh birthday, and that was the clincher. By my eighth I would read that thing in two hours, by third grade I was reading books like The Secret Garden as bedtime reading. The Whole thing.
A Geek was born.