Posted on 09/05/2007 4:50:53 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
I want to comment further here on the Miss Teen South Carolina answer. She was asked a question in a pageant: "Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the United States on a world map. Why do you think this is? " Here was her answer: "I personally believe the US Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps, and, uh, I believe that our education, like such as South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like, such as -- and I believe that they should. Our education over here in the US should help the US -- should help South Africa and should help the Iraq, and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our children." Now, this is sad. This is sad, and people played this audio all over. It's over ten million hits on YouTube, Mr. Snerdley. You've got the audio? (sigh) Okay, I'll play it, but I'm not doing this to make fun of her. A lot of people did this. I'm not trying to make fun of her. There's a reason for this. There is an explanation for this answer.
(Excerpt) Read more at rushlimbaugh.com ...
I agree with your assessment.
She did as best she could while being nervous and flustered.
I wonder, do parents who home school teach their kids how to perform under extreme pressure? Is that why there have been so many calls here for homeschooling in response to this young lady's flummoxed answer?
We lived in South Carolina for a year.
At that time, high school seniors were required to pass a test to graduate. They started giving the test in 10th grade to give them a couple of extra chances.
When my dyslexic 10th grade son took it and passed it the first time, (with no help nor accommodations for his dyslexia) yet some of the seniors who were supposed to graduate couldn’t pass the test on their third try, I knew something was terribly wrong.
I didn’t feel a bit better when his Algebra teacher told us he was the best-prepared student in the class- and Algebra was a daily struggle for him, with his dad helping.
The same son was told by a classmate “you talk so sophisticated!” He was born and raised in Georgia until moving to Texas. I never was sure if she meant that he had a halfway decent vocabulary, or that he actually enunciated his words clearly enough that you could understand what he was saying.
Of course I have to say that some people are pretty much not educable. I had a high school grad here in Texas ask me, on one winter’s day, why was I so cold? “After all, you’re from Georgia, and Georgia is close to New York, and New York’s cold all the time!!” If you’re dumb as a box of rocks before you go to school, there may not be much they can do with you.
I heard a clip of this the other day. It was physically PAINFUL to listen to this young woman.
So you know where the TREASURE is?! I'll help you find it if you are willing to go half! :)
One such one was some politician I read of who said he was working for the day when everybody was earning more than the average wage.
Can't say that I have, really, and I think that the argument is ridiculous. Most folks don't have a continental identity ... they call themselves according to their country. I am an American because I come from the United States of America.
I've never met a Guatemalan who identified himself as Central American, or a Venezuelan that indicated that she was a South American.
Perhaps my life has been sheltered, which I doubt, or maybe it is that I don't keep company with many liberals, for which I'm proud.
I apologize that I couldn't tell which side of the argument you were taking in your previous post.
Bookmark, bump
That’d have made me go to summer school ev’ry day. The ones I went to school with were fugly overmakeup’d whores with big hair (hey, it was the ‘80s). ;-D
Subject, verb, adjective??? Forget, for a moment, her pathetic attempt to regurgitate all the politically correct tripe jammed down her throat for the past twelve years. “The Iraq”? What’s that?
I’d like to see how Sister Mary Roberta would have had us diagram that sentence. (or was it sentences?)
It’s okay. You weren’t the only one, so obviously I wasn’t clear enough. The whole thing is ridiculous. But this young girl didn’t invent that particular part of her nonsense answer. Blame her liberal teachers for that one.
Standing up in front of the class to deliver a speech or recite a poem is what we used to do in the 'good old days'. Don't see any reason why that couldn't be adapted for homeschoolers. First recite in front of the family, then your homeschooling activity group, then a church group, and so on. Work up to it gradually!
Toastmasters is a good training ground for grownups. I don't know if they'd let high school age homeschoolers in, but it would be worth asking.
Sorry. It should have read “Subject, verb, object”???
I’m as bad as she is. Sorry, Sister.
Yes indeed; do not hold her accountable for her inarticulate, uninformed answer to a simple question posed during a SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST, AKA meat-pageant.
This isn't a flame, but it's obvious you know little about most scholarship pageants. The irony is your stereotypical characterization of pageants and the girls who participate parrots what I've heard from liberals.
She may not have performed well, but she had to do well earlier or she wouldn't have gotten that far. The kids in most of these pageants are anything but bubbleheaded. They are outstanding young women, most with good to great grades, numerous activities and community service, and considerable poise.
The kid may have overprepared and locked up (common). She's probably practiced with dozens of potential questions (there are books devoted to this subject). As she walks up to take the question, there's the pressure of the lights, audience, other contestants, and most of all, the judges. She's simultaneously worried about the way she carries herself, walking on heels, in a gown, that she makes eye contact correctly with the judges, and is focused on smiling and showing confidence without fear no matter how much she feels.
If she answers well, all that can be said is she hasn't eliminated herself and may advance if others falter. If she screws up, it's over. All the work, all the effort is done. She can try again next year, but she starts from scratch.
There's a tendency to laugh at a pageant contestant flubbing an answer, but it's more difficult than a rehearsed performance. It's more like the pressure any athlete feels when all of the focus is on him or her. It's the field goal kicker lining up for the potential game winner with time expiring. It's the cornerback exposed one-on-one with a bigger, faster, receiver. It's a goalie facing a penalty kick (or the forward about to take it). It's the pitcher up by a run on a 3-2 count in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the tying run on third and winning run on second (or the batter facing him).
And yet, the athlete is far better prepared and faces fewer unknowns than the pageant contestant. The baseball analogy may be the best, if you can imagine being the batter facing a pitcher with an unlimited number of pitches, most of which you've never seen or imagined. Oh, and the batter is also given style points based on how he stands, swings, etc.
If you think this is easy, just look at the professional politicians at the highest levels, schooled in the art of debate, briefed by experts, prepared by the best and brightest in their field. How many of them screw up in a debate? How many answer a question poorly, blow their body language, look at watches, etc.?
The amazing thing isn't that this kid screwed up, it's that more do not. The kids who do well in scholarship pageants, prepare themselves for a host of difficult situations. Job interviews, for example, are a snap compared to this.
If it sounds a little personal with me, it is. My daughter decided to compete in pageants (and does quite well). One of the people who influenced her is the music minister at our church who covered part of her college tuition through scholarship pageants.
Scholarship pageants are most certainly not meat pageants. My daughter, for example, is a star athlete, NHS, student council, active in church, spends spring breaks doing mission work (labor type mission work), drama student of the year, winner of her school's outstanding student award, and five time finalist in one of the area's top piano competitions. She's an unbelievable kid. And yet, in the pageants, every kid is unbelievable.
Of course, you don't know any of this, but you know they're meat pageants?
/rant
Oh good God, yes. I would HATE to have a video circulating of some of the things I said as an adult under pressure, never mind at age 17. I’m really glad to know there are other, perfect people out there who would never flub anything, on camera and within a time limit. I’ll never be one of them, that’s for sure!
GWB has people writing speeches for him and he still has managed to mangle some of the lines.
Please read post 78. It applies to both of you as well.
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