Homeroom Story

[mrkelley23]

Kind of a long buildup for a rather sad ending, but here goes:

I have seniors in homeroom this year. We keep our homeroom all four years, so I've known these kids since they were freshmen. Last year, we started doing silent sustained reading for 25 minutes during an extended homeroom period, twice a week. We found some grant money somewhere that allowed us to get a couple of newspapers per homeroom, each day that we have SSR.

Today one of my kids came in and spied a comic strip laying on my desk. I offer some minor incentives for kids to bring me comics, articles, internet sites, etc., as long as they pertain to physics in some way. This young woman saw the strip, cut from a Sunday paper about 3 weeks ago, laying on my desk and exclaimed, "Wow! That must be from a really OLD paper!"

I told her that I didn't think so and wondered why she would have thought that. She said it was because it was from back when the comics were still in color.

I explained to her that the Sunday paper has always (as far as I could remember, anyway) had color comics. She said, "Oh. Well, I've never seen the newspaper on Sunday."

Sigh.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

That is sad.

[MarleysGh0st]

I explained to her that the Sunday paper has always (as far as I could remember, anyway) had color comics. She said, "Oh. Well, I've never seen the newspaper on Sunday."

Sigh.

Hmmmm.

Up here, the Ithaca Journal doesn't publish on Sundays. Most of those who want a Sunday paper get the New York Times--and that paper doesn't even have comics!

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I explained to her that the Sunday paper has always (as far as I could remember, anyway) had color comics. She said, "Oh. Well, I've never seen the newspaper on Sunday."

Sigh.

Hmmmm.

Up here, the Ithaca Journal doesn't publish on Sundays. Most of those who want a Sunday paper get the New York Times--and that paper doesn't even have comics!

No comics! Wow!

The kids have been taking the comics section since they were little. They both used to fight over who got to do the Mini Page.

[mrkelley23]

I explained to her that the Sunday paper has always (as far as I could remember, anyway) had color comics. She said, "Oh. Well, I've never seen the newspaper on Sunday."

Sigh.

Hmmmm.

Up here, the Ithaca Journal doesn't publish on Sundays. Most of those who want a Sunday paper get the New York Times--and that paper doesn't even have comics!

That's cause it's just a Communist front organization. Ask Flock and BiT.

[andrewjackson]

The Houston Chronicle used to have almost 4 pages of comics in the daily edition. I loved it.

Recently they cut back to just two pages but one of those pages is in color every day.

I'd still trade that color for the other two pages. You can see all the comics (and even more) that they used to have in the print edition on the website but it isn't the same as in the paper.

[MarleysGh0st]

No comics! Wow!

Yeah, I think the Times has a chip on their shoulder about not including comics because they're a "serious" newspaper.




Speaking of chips on one's shoulders, I haven't bought a copy of the Sunday New York Times since I was in an article.

[BackInTex]

That's cause it's just a Communist front organization. Ask Flock and BiT.

Shows how much you know. It is secretly run by a group of ultra-conservatives whose purpose it to keep the liberal masses mis-informed and ignorant.

Seems to be working.

[silvercamaro]

I told her that I didn't think so and wondered why she would have thought that. She said it was because it was from back when the comics were still in color.

The reverse of this was when Adventure Boy saw his first black-and-white music video on MTV. He thought the monochromatic color scheme was "special effects."

More to your point, though, are comments I once heard from a football coach. He talked about the difficulty of using higher education as a selling point while recruiting prospective players from deprived homes "where there's no sign of a single book, newspaper or magazine in the entire house."

[earendel]

The Houston Chronicle used to have almost 4 pages of comics in the daily edition. I loved it.

Recently they cut back to just two pages but one of those pages is in color every day.

I'd still trade that color for the other two pages. You can see all the comics (and even more) that they used to have in the print edition on the website but it isn't the same as in the paper.

Our local paper is evidently about to undergo a purge of its comics section. For the past week they've been asking for readers to go online and indicate their 5 favorite and 5 least favorite comic strips. That's usually a sign that they're going to make some changes.

[nitrah55]

That's cause it's just a Communist front organization. Ask Flock and BiT.

Shows how much you know. It is secretly run by a group of ultra-conservatives whose purpose it to keep the liberal masses mis-informed and ignorant.

Seems to be working.

Kind of like the Wall Street Journal. It doesn't have comics, either.

[peacock2121]

I explained to her that the Sunday paper has always (as far as I could remember, anyway) had color comics. She said, "Oh. Well, I've never seen the newspaper on Sunday."

Sigh.

Double sigh

They get their news from John Stewart and the like.

So many parents are so stretched, they don't even think it is a shame that they don't read the newspaper.

[mrkelley23]

Parents? What parents?

Seriously.

[traininvain]

That's cause it's just a Communist front organization. Ask Flock and BiT.

Shows how much you know. It is secretly run by a group of ultra-conservatives whose purpose it to keep the liberal masses mis-informed and ignorant.

Seems to be working.

Kind of like the Wall Street Journal. It doesn't have comics, either.

Or a Sunday edition.

[peacock2121]

Parents? What parents?

Seriously.

Who do they live with?

[TheConfessor]

I explained to her that the Sunday paper has always (as far as I could remember, anyway) had color comics. She said, "Oh. Well, I've never seen the newspaper on Sunday."

Sigh.

You missed a good opportunity to suggest that she get a job delivering newspapers, as so many of her elders did at her age. I'm sure that having a paper route was a significant factor in my lifelong curiosity about the world around me, and good discipline and training in being dependable and responsible.

She'd also get a chance to see the Sunday newspaper each week. I used to see the Sunday comics on the previous Tuesday, and had to assemble several different Sunday sections as they were delivered during the week. I'm not sure that happens anymore. Probably not. I also used to have to collect from about 140 subscribers each month, and often went home with several hundred dollars cash on me (worth over a thousand in today's bucks). That would probably get you killed these days, so I don't think kids have to collect anymore.

[mrkelley23]

I explained to her that the Sunday paper has always (as far as I could remember, anyway) had color comics. She said, "Oh. Well, I've never seen the newspaper on Sunday."

Sigh.

You missed a good opportunity to suggest that she get a job delivering newspapers, as so many of her elders did at her age. I'm sure that having a paper route was a significant factor in my lifelong curiosity about the world around me, and good discipline and training in being dependable and responsible.

She'd also get a chance to see the Sunday newspaper each week. I used to see the Sunday comics on the previous Tuesday, and had to assemble several different Sunday sections as they were delivered during the week. I'm not sure that happens anymore. Probably not. I also used to have to collect from about 140 subscribers each month, and often went home with several hundred dollars cash on me (worth over a thousand in today's bucks). That would probably get you killed these days, so I don't think kids have to collect anymore.

If I had suggested to this particular young woman that she get a job delivering newspapers, you would have heard her laughing at me all the way to wherever you're currently living.

And Pea, she may live with someone who is nominally an adult, by birth certificate anyway, and she may even have the DNA to prove a birthing relationship, but the parent part of it ends right there.

At least I'm not bitter.

[traininvain]

I explained to her that the Sunday paper has always (as far as I could remember, anyway) had color comics. She said, "Oh. Well, I've never seen the newspaper on Sunday."

Sigh.

You missed a good opportunity to suggest that she get a job delivering newspapers, as so many of her elders did at her age. I'm sure that having a paper route was a significant factor in my lifelong curiosity about the world around me, and good discipline and training in being dependable and responsible.

She'd also get a chance to see the Sunday newspaper each week. I used to see the Sunday comics on the previous Tuesday, and had to assemble several different Sunday sections as they were delivered during the week. I'm not sure that happens anymore. Probably not. I also used to have to collect from about 140 subscribers each month, and often went home with several hundred dollars cash on me (worth over a thousand in today's bucks). That would probably get you killed these days, so I don't think kids have to collect anymore.

As far as I know there are no kids delivering newspapers anymore, it's all done by delivery companies that deliver all types of papers, and it's usually done at about 5:00AM by an underpaid person in a beat-up car.

[otherindigo]

I explained to her that the Sunday paper has always (as far as I could remember, anyway) had color comics. She said, "Oh. Well, I've never seen the newspaper on Sunday."

Sigh.

You missed a good opportunity to suggest that she get a job delivering newspapers, as so many of her elders did at her age. I'm sure that having a paper route was a significant factor in my lifelong curiosity about the world around me, and good discipline and training in being dependable and responsible.

She'd also get a chance to see the Sunday newspaper each week. I used to see the Sunday comics on the previous Tuesday, and had to assemble several different Sunday sections as they were delivered during the week. I'm not sure that happens anymore. Probably not. I also used to have to collect from about 140 subscribers each month, and often went home with several hundred dollars cash on me (worth over a thousand in today's bucks). That would probably get you killed these days, so I don't think kids have to collect anymore.

If I had suggested to this particular young woman that she get a job delivering newspapers, you would have heard her laughing at me all the way to wherever you're currently living.

And Pea, she may live with someone who is nominally an adult, by birth certificate anyway, and she may even have the DNA to prove a birthing relationship, but the parent part of it ends right there.

At least I'm not bitter.

Such is the case with many of my students. I know of a couple who are lucky to be able to sleep in the house because Mom wants them out of her way while she has her man over, or the kid that is being moved around from aunt to aunt, grandma to grandma because she "isn't their problem"...The stories are limitless.

[littlebeast13]

I explained to her that the Sunday paper has always (as far as I could remember, anyway) had color comics. She said, "Oh. Well, I've never seen the newspaper on Sunday."

Sigh.

You missed a good opportunity to suggest that she get a job delivering newspapers, as so many of her elders did at her age. I'm sure that having a paper route was a significant factor in my lifelong curiosity about the world around me, and good discipline and training in being dependable and responsible.

She'd also get a chance to see the Sunday newspaper each week. I used to see the Sunday comics on the previous Tuesday, and had to assemble several different Sunday sections as they were delivered during the week. I'm not sure that happens anymore. Probably not. I also used to have to collect from about 140 subscribers each month, and often went home with several hundred dollars cash on me (worth over a thousand in today's bucks). That would probably get you killed these days, so I don't think kids have to collect anymore.

As far as I know there are no kids delivering newspapers anymore, it's all done by delivery companies that deliver all types of papers, and it's usually done at about 5:00AM by an underpaid person in a beat-up car.

Most of our newspapers get delivered even earlier than that....

The only kids delivering them are the children of the guy who runs the route when he lets them tag along....

lb13

[peacock2121]

I explained to her that the Sunday paper has always (as far as I could remember, anyway) had color comics. She said, "Oh. Well, I've never seen the newspaper on Sunday."

Sigh.

You missed a good opportunity to suggest that she get a job delivering newspapers, as so many of her elders did at her age. I'm sure that having a paper route was a significant factor in my lifelong curiosity about the world around me, and good discipline and training in being dependable and responsible.

She'd also get a chance to see the Sunday newspaper each week. I used to see the Sunday comics on the previous Tuesday, and had to assemble several different Sunday sections as they were delivered during the week. I'm not sure that happens anymore. Probably not. I also used to have to collect from about 140 subscribers each month, and often went home with several hundred dollars cash on me (worth over a thousand in today's bucks). That would probably get you killed these days, so I don't think kids have to collect anymore.

If I had suggested to this particular young woman that she get a job delivering newspapers, you would have heard her laughing at me all the way to wherever you're currently living.

And Pea, she may live with someone who is nominally an adult, by birth certificate anyway, and she may even have the DNA to prove a birthing relationship, but the parent part of it ends right there.

At least I'm not bitter.

There is a fine line between being bitter and being aware of the reality.

She comes to school and she thinks. Someone is not doing everything wrong.

[peacock2121]

My brother had a paper route. He learned how to manipulate his mother and sisters to do his job because he was a big time sports star. Then he learned how to avoid paying said females for doing his job.

I am not bitter or anything.

[Appa23]

I guess that I should admit that I currently do not get the newspaper, and I only buy it sometimes on Sundays.

As my older brothers and I probably had routes including well over 1000 customers (large apartment complexes included), my parents did always get the daily paper, Sundays included.

[ne1410s]

or the kid that is being moved around from aunt to aunt, grandma to grandma because she "isn't their problem"...The stories are limitless.

As Chris Rock says, " If a kid calls his Grandma, "Mommy", and his mama, "Pam", he's going to end up in jail."

[mrkelley23]

And to continue with the Chris Rockisms, I'll be very surprised if mine stays off the pole.

If she isn't already on it.