Duluth.Talk

By Stan

April 3, 2008 11:49 AM | Link to this

Gee, a child under the age of 18 being childish and immature? Say t ain’t so.

Come on. Think about what you are writing.

Stan

By Jake

April 3, 2008 12:06 PM | Link to this

Bill, what did I miss? The student called the author of a book, and told the author that the student’s teacher would not let allow use of the book as a source on the very subject that the book was written on. Did the student reveal the teacher’s name and home address and phone number on the radio?
Did the student throw a tantrum in the classroom because of this? Did the student invite the Mr. Boortz as a surprise show-and-tell guest to class? Did the student go on and cite this book and then have her parents protest to the principal about her not getting credit for the source? You say that she was not taught to respect her elders, but you base this conclusion solely upon (apparently) the mere fact that she called the author on his call-in radio show, and told him that her teacher did not consider his book credible enough to cite as a source for a paper. I generally don’t listen to Boortz, and didn’t hear this part of his show, but seems to me that you, Mr. Allen, are making a mountain out of a molehill.

By What?

April 3, 2008 1:06 PM | Link to this

I think you’ve lost it. Get real.

By Are you kidding?

April 3, 2008 1:08 PM | Link to this

You have got to be kidding, right????

By Please!

April 3, 2008 1:11 PM | Link to this

Please tell me you don’t have any kids of your own. You are waaaay out there!

By Think about it

April 3, 2008 1:15 PM | Link to this

Do you even think before you write this stuff, or do you do it just to get folks to write in? Do you get paid by the number of replies you get? That would explain it, I guess (sort of).

By For sure

April 3, 2008 1:23 PM | Link to this

Yes, you are wrong. And I can’t believe you called a child “childish and immature”. I’m thinking you’re a litte “off”.

By A Non-Kool-Aid Drinker

April 3, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this

Bill —

I agree with you that if a kid had a problem with his teacher, he should have taken it up with the teacher. Or, in reality, he should have gotten on the internet and found some credible studies on the FairTax. (There are plenty out there, both in favor of and in opposition to the FairTax).

But the real cuprit here is Boortz. Trashing a teacher on his radio show, linking to her photo and school email address, and urging his listeners to attack her, was below contempt.

Had he had his staff check with her first, he would have learned that the teacher required ALL of her students to rely on PRIMARY research for the RESEARCH PAPER. They were not allowed to used secondary sources. Her complaint had nothing to do with the FairTax or Neal Boortz, it was that The FairTax Book was an advocacy piece, which contains no independent research or analysis (nor does it contain any citations to research studies), so it was not an appropriate source to cite in a RESEARCH PAPER.

But enough of Boortz. Everyone knows he’s scum. Why didn’t YOU email the teacher go learn the facts before you posted your post repeating the lies you heard on the Boortz show.

Shame on you!

By Stan

April 3, 2008 2:43 PM | Link to this

Hey Kool-Aid:

“The teacher reportedly said that Boortz was not a credible source, and instead gave the student an article that Joel Slemrod, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan, wrote for the New York Times.”

An article written for a newspaper is a “primary” resource for the research paper? But 2 books co-written by the Congressman who is pushing the legislation is NOT??

I NEVER contact the “offender” when Boortz does something like that, though I did NOT see he had linked her email address in this instance, though I’ve seen him do it often enough to not argue that point.

Stan

By A Non-Kool-Aid Drinker

April 3, 2008 3:24 PM | Link to this

Stan — Perhaps you should go back and read The FairTax Book. It does not contain any research. It’s a bunch of sweeeping generalities and stuff that Boortz and Linder frankly made up. And it contained so many errors that they had to (very quietly) correct those errors in the later book. Even the economists who support the FairTax (and are paid by AFFT) will tell you The FairTax Book is a joke, that has cause more misunderstanding of the FairTax than anything else because it is so full of errors.

In contrast, there are many research actual studies out there that would constitute primary research.

By Bill Allen

April 3, 2008 10:16 PM | Link to this

Actually, Kool-Aid, I kind of thought that I was taking up for the teacher. At least, that was my intent.

A colleague of mine said, as she proofread the blog, “I’m sure it makes teachers and schools scared to do anything these days if students are going to carry every complaint to the press.” When I first heard Neal start off with the story, my first thought was, “uh-oh.”

Many teachers, in my opinion, work very hard to teach our children. Sure, I have issues with education today. Local, state, and federal. No Child Left Behind, I think, was one of the most asinine things our “leaders” ever did. It forces some kids to live down to the expectations established by the Act that they might otherwise be able to achieve if they could exercise their minds. Instead…. well, that’s a topic for another time.

Teachers work very hard at what they do. Sure, there are some bad apples. And yes, they are limited by working within an educational system that cares more about processing cattle than it does with making our children smarter. But they still do it. Many because they love it. Few admire teachers more than I do. I mean that.

I hear about a snot-nosed kid all p** off because she didn’t like her teacher’s rules, so she said, “I’ll show her. I’ll get her ridiculed on national radio. The radio station won’t use my name on the air, because I’m just a kid. But they’ll use her name, and everybody who listens to the radio will know how stupid she is.”

So no, Kool-Aid, I didn’t e-mail the teacher to learn the facts. I didn’t want to. “[T]he student should not have invaded her teacher’s privacy by fighting her battle in a public forum. The point of the assignment was not to have Neal Boortz lambaste a teacher with whom the student disagreed. The point was to have the student write her own paper expressing her own opinions.”

If I had done something like that to one of my teachers, my dad would have given me hell for it, and rightly so. Childhood is the apprenticeship of adulthood. Children haven’t earned the right to be treated like adults, and that includes throwing their teacher under the bus. It doesn’t matter whether or not I agree with the teacher’s qualifications for what is or isn’t a reference book. It’s her class and they’re her rules. Period. And if a kid doesn’t like it, tough nuts. “tell your parents, and then they will discuss it with the teacher,and the principal if need be.”

I think what that student was wrong. And maybe it is a molehill. And no, I don’t have any children. If I did, though, and one of them did to their teacher what this student did to hers, then that child wouldn’t be seeing the light of day for a while - unless it was through a window or walking from the bus to her class or her house.

Neal did what he did because that’s what he gets paid to do. No, I would not have named the teacher. Today (Thursday), Neal said something to the effect that he heard that the teacher had been getting some hateful e-mails as a result of this, and he told people to stop it, don’t do it. That wasn’t why he brought the story up.

To Ms. Snellgrove, the teacher, I am sorry that you had to go through all of this. You didn’t want to, you didn’t need or want of this. You were just doing your job, namely, teaching. Teaching kids how to write a persuasive paper. I’m sorry that one student’s immature judgment made life a little chaotic.

By One Man's View

April 4, 2008 6:42 AM | Link to this

Mr. Allen,

I don’t think you were crystal clear on some things. There is a big difference in writing about “The Fair Tax” by Linder and Boortz and the general subject of fair taxation. If the student was writing on the first, then citing Boortz’ book and others commenting on the book would actually have been mandatory. The teacher was decidedly wrong about instructing the student to not cite Boortz’ book. It is not for her to judge its quality. The student should do so in her paper as part of evalutating the Fair Tax.

If on the second subject, then references would not have been necessary, assuming specific ideas did not have a specific source and assuming that the assignment was not for a research paper. You really did not specify the exact nature of the assignment.

Regarding calling the Boortz show. You seem to assume that parents have the wherewithal to fight student battles. That’s probably a big assumption, as is the assumption that teachers will listen to a student. Maybe the student felt that she had no alternative. As I said, the teacher was wrong to exclude references to a book on the subject on which the student was writing.

I personally think calling Boortz was out of line. But the teacher should have thicker skin. I am one hundred percent certain that I would not care at all what Neal Boortz said or thought. The man is a loudmouth and will not carry on an intelligent conversation with a caller always reserving the right to interrupt, hang up, etc. We in Atlanta have been putting up with him way too long and WSB radio also, for that matter.

Regarding the Fair Tax. It’s a bit like “free” trade. Unless one is a silly person, one realizes that trade has rules, usually dictated by the powerful, and winners and losers. NAFTA is supposedly about free trade. What we all know, except for the silly, is that NAFTA is a subtle mechanism whereby US corps produce in no-rule environments and ship back to themselves, regardless of economic consequences to a nation on which they are reliant. It is merely intra-corporate passing of goods; it is not trade between country X and the US and its not free. It has major consequences.

The so-called Fair Tax is about as regressive as a tax scheme can get. It is most definitely not “fair.” The median American family has to spend 100% of income on necessities. The rich do not. They must be salivating at the chance to have their income and investments not be taxed. Now we’ll have some honest to goodness inequality in this nation. The hair-brained scheme of prebates is laughable. Here we have gov haters proposing the gov administer rebates in some coherent manner. One thing we do know is that paying about 30% extra on all goods would be a disaster. Not to mention, it in essence penalizes consumption. Maybe Boortz hasn’t heard that consumption represents about 70% of our GDP. Economists really worry at any hint that consumption might go down. Boortz idea would guarantee that it would. The idea is totally idiotic. It makes a flat tax on all earnings including investments with no deductions seem like a very intelligent idea.

By Jim Nelems

April 4, 2008 7:38 AM | Link to this

I can’t believe you called a student lazy and immature because she wanted to research a controversial issue rather than take the word of someone on one side of the eacher, the supposed economist.

It is the TEACHER who should be disciplined in this case. You complain that the student went to a specific source and that is wrong, yet is is OK for the TEACHER to suggest a source holding the opposite view. If a student is asked to write a paper, how can the student be told to only use a source which has a specific belief?

Why sould the teacher decide for the student what source to use? How does this help the student?

And if it wrong for this to be a public battle, why are YOU writing about it?

By Frank Dees

April 4, 2008 7:59 AM | Link to this

You asked if you were wrong. The response is a resounding yes!

By Terry

April 4, 2008 8:52 AM | Link to this

Bill I’m not sure how many research papers your mother did for you, but I think the idea of a report is to research and learn how to use sources to be able to write even more dificult reports in College. Otherwise you might end up spouting your own ideas and working at a job for the Gwinnett News

By Barry Fullerton

April 4, 2008 9:26 AM | Link to this

You are not only wrong, your essay does not measure up, either. Perhaps you should not have admitted you were an English major. Your invasion of privacy argument is pure nonsense.

As I understand it, the student was writing for an Language Arts class —not a political science class. What would a debate teacher/coach say about this? “I want only arguments that support my point of view”? A “persuasive paper” only needs to be persuasive. And,let’s not lose sight of the fact that the assignment also contained the word “controversial.”

An essay assignment is about structure, logic, technique, grammar, sentence/paragaph composition, etc.

If there stilll remains doubt about the quality of teaching these days, the Peachtree Ridge fiasco should put it all to rest. Any “language arts” teacher with a political agenda should be exposed and ridiculed if warranted.The student was right and the teacher was wrong.

By LG

April 4, 2008 9:36 AM | Link to this

Having been an economics major in college, I couldn’t imagine getting advise on my homework from a congressman or a talk show host. I could imagine researching what the country’s leading economists would have to say about the subject. Econ is much more than supply and demand or the Lorenz curve. I don’t see either Linder or Boortz putting enough time into the subject to fully understand it.

The teacher didn’t have any hidden political agenda. She wanted the kids to get the facts from the experts.

By Scott

April 4, 2008 9:56 AM | Link to this

Mr. Allen,

After reading your opinion piece in today’s AJC Gwinnett section, I reflected on my debate experiences in high school and college. While making a persuasive argument using passion and pluck can be effective, winning a debate requires facts as well. Far from being a crutch, siting facts based on good research, using reliable sources, clarifies and strengthens ones position. Limiting access to information that, most likely, supported the students position was wrong.

Disregarding the teacher’s motivation for a moment, what good comes from limiting a student’s resources in researching a subject? An exercise of this type would seem to be about taking a position on something you believe in, organizing a rational argument, supported with facts, to support your position, and then presenting your material. If the student makes a persuasive argument, great, give them a high grade. Conversely, a presentation that shows a lack of preparation should be graded accordingly. However, approving a subject, and then limiting resources based on that subject is questionable at best.

Regarding your questioning of the student’s actions, two points. 1). Unless you are aware of information not available to the general public, how can you assume that she did not follow your preferred chain of conflict resolution? 2). Damning her for acting childish and immature is a bit childish and immature, don’t you think. She’s a high school student, 18 at most. This type of perceived poor decision making goes with the territory.

High school is the place where young minds are supposed to begin building on the rote learning of earlier years, moving on to comprehending the concepts of abstract thought. Unlike many of her peers, this student appears to have an eye toward concerns that relate to the broader, civic community. I for one, welcome her insights.

Cordially, Scott Taylor

By Steve

April 4, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this

yeah, this is pretty stupid, Bill. Them strokes done frazzled your noodle.

By James

April 4, 2008 11:19 AM | Link to this

Dear Mr. President, Members of Congress, and Fellow Americans, We, the undersigned business and university economists, welcome and applaud the ongoing initiative to reform the federal tax code. We urge the President and the Congress to work together in good faith to pass and sign into federal law H.R. 25 and S. 25, which together call for:

http://www.fairtax.org/PDF/AnOpenLettertothePresident051606.pdf

By One Man's View

April 4, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this

If a person were writing a paper on the Fair Tax as proposed by Linder and Boortz, he or she would more than likely be negligent if quotes from the book were not used. That has nothing to do with whether the points are good or not. In fact, armed with other information, it is incumbent upon the student to assess the Fair Tax. I agree that Linder and Boortz don’t have a clue about economics, other than ain’t it nice to be very well-to-do. But if it is their ideas being discussed, their exact words should be referenced and acknowledged. I’m fairly certain that this is Paper Writing 101.

If on the other hand fair taxation was being discussed, then the book would not be used other than to demonstrate crackpot ideas.

By Michael H. Smith

April 4, 2008 12:24 PM | Link to this

At the end of the day, so to speak, the student in this case may learn the importance of choosing battles when in the war of wits. I’d rather expect a teenage pupil to challenge established boundaries, even to the point of being apparently ridiculous. Of course, I’d expect Boortz to be ridiculous, especially when he can make a dollar for having done so, that is his prime motive; otherwise, he would return to practicing law, as big bucks “lawya” (sic). The teacher’s motives may extend beyond the noble the virtues of simply getting a kid to write and write well. In whatever case, the said teacher has the power to give this dynamic literary powerhouse of inspiration a failing grade, et al said student loses the proverbial war of wits.

Then again, old big bucks Boortz could come out from behind the microphone or some bottom feeding ACLU lawyer seeking a spectacle could create quit a stir defending the first amendment rights of this lazy or daunting language arts student?

Hey, so it is reach, in this litigious society anything goes, where sometimes the losing lawyers actually win.

By Bill

April 4, 2008 7:06 PM | Link to this

Bill, Having grown up in a family of educators. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. This students teacher shows, yet again, a frightening trend of “liberally indoctrinated” teachers attempting to warp the minds of young students who don’t have all their armor on yet.

This teachers criteria for “acceptable” resource material is as idiotic as President Bush’s mandate to a tax advisory panel which he instructed to explorer methods to simplify the way we collect taxes. He essentially stated in his instructions not to change anything currently in place in doing so. Isn’t that brilliant?

Bill; I have to say I’m disappointed in you for not being “up on the subject at hand”. Do you live under a rock up there?

The FairTax is being discussed everywhere. It has even been presented by many candidates in the current 2008 primaries for President of the United States!

A few years ago, after a meeting to talk about the FairTax, Treasury Secretary John Snow looked back over his shoulder as he left the office and said, “You’ve just proposed the biggest magnet for capital and jobs in history.”

It’s clear that a major battle has been engaged; and the prize is the financial freedom of the American people, and American companies in the global marketplace. The fight will be a bloody on.

Taking back power from Washington and giving it back to American citizens, as it was in the beginning of this country, is a radical thought to many people. It’s just as radical as how people felt with their new found freedom in the Soviet Union when we broke the Soviets backs and freed them from communism. They had been under the “boot” of oppression so long; they didn’t know what to do.

Any dissenting voice’s of the FairTax are either (1) uninformed about the subject, (2) partially informed by means of incorrect information being floated by certain individuals, unread media types (like yourself Bill) who love to write before they research, and other organizations, or (3) people and organizations earning their livings by virtue of our current “mind numbing” 65,700 page tax code; and will do anything - and I mean anything - to demagogue it in attempting to save their high-paying careers. Take a look at K street in Washington for a long list of suspects, as well as “lifer” politicians who retain their power by doling out “bennies” to special interest groups.

To those who earlier commented that no credible economist believes in this bill; I can only echo a previious submission and a link to:

http://www.fairtax.org/PDF/AnOpenLettertothePresident051606.pdf

I guess all these folks must be wacked laymen - right? I don’t think so.

Two thumbs-up to the young lady for blowing the whistle on this teacher.

By Antonio Villanueva

April 4, 2008 9:01 PM | Link to this

Yes, totally wrong!! thumps up to the student and down to the teacher!; my daughter in high school -always excelent grades- with little or no help from her teachers, many of her friends have tutors to help them improve their grades; it is common that if a student doesn’t understand a problem and needs an explanation the teacher will say: “read the book!”; do they know what the word teacher really means? teachers need to prepare better themselves to teach better! Bill you said the student was inmature and not up to the task at hand, to me, those words fit more you and the teacher!

By patty

April 4, 2008 11:05 PM | Link to this

Everybody try to keep focused here. Did this student hand in a paper? Was it any good i.e., persuasive?, spelling, grammar,etc? The teacher’s goal was to have the students learn how to write persuasively.** There is a rubric to assess and grade the paper. Quality of source material is just one aspect along with grammar, spelling etc…. The teacher told the student that the source was not credible and gave the student an preferable source. That was a gift. The teacher didn’t have to tell her that. She could have just let the student submit a paper based on the student’s own sources and graded it accordingly. Likewise, the student should not have been daunted. She should have made her case in the best paper she could. and her PARENTS should have encouraged her to write it and not wimp out by immediately crying foul to ‘uncle neal’. My guess is that the PARENTS encouraged this kid to protest. Which would be different if the assignment/issue had been in Economics, Civics or Political Science..maybe…but it was Language Arts and the student could have probably used the writing exercise. (being in a gov’t school and all) But really, the student should have been encouraged by everybody involved, to forge ahead according to her best instincts and take the consequences……that is how you learn…..

By Tim

April 7, 2008 9:18 AM | Link to this

Does anyone understand that Neil Boortz is in the Entertainment business? Nothing he does or says can be considered “scholarly” in any way. Do yourselves a favor and learn how to distinguish Fallacy from Fact. This teacher was OBVIOUSLY trying to teach kids what the kool-aid drinking talk show listeners have missed. Just because someone has the advertisement backing doesn’t mean their words have any validity. I like Neil when I agree with him, and I hate him when I disagree. That is his job. He is just a Pot Stirring entertainer, and you all are the vegetables in the soup. His opinions however are worth no more than any one voice in the general public.

By One Man's View

April 7, 2008 10:19 AM | Link to this

Saying that Boortz is an entertainer is not really all that edifying.

Boortz has no talent, per se, as do most “entertainers.” He claims to be engaging in conversation as can anyone. Doubtlessly he is concerned with ratings, but also doubtlessly the “real” Neal Boortz appears on his show. The man is way too pompous to worry about an on-air vs. an off-air personality. He may be a bore - no he is a bore - but is not a fraud in the normal sense of the word.

Even loudmouths can write books. They may actually be good. He wrote one on a so-called Fair Tax. I happen to think it is total nonsense; others do not. However, if one wants to speak of or write about Boortz’ Fair Tax, it is only credible to use what the man says. The teacher as I understand did not object to a subject of the Fair Tax. The student would be remiss if she did not directly refer to Boortz’ ideas in his book. In addition, the student should get other perspectives on taxation, as the teacher suggested. I don’t know what the teacher was OBVIOULSY doing. I do know that excluding reference to a work that defines a concept is wrong. The teacher seems to be confusing Boortz the talker with Boortz the author.

By Bill Allen

April 7, 2008 10:54 AM | Link to this

Patty -

Thank you. That is the point I was trying to make.

By One Man's View

April 7, 2008 12:36 PM | Link to this

Bill, what point was that. Patty’s post unfortunately is almost indecipherable. Something about write well, just don’t get hung up on your own ideas - teacher knows best.

By Tim

April 7, 2008 12:39 PM | Link to this

According to what the teacher is trying to accomplish, telling the students NOT to include the very book that they are writing about as a reference simply takes away an easy (and useless) source, and will require the student to think. (Which is really what we are after I think). However, we really have no clue what the teacher actually was trying to accomplish because we listen to the extreme opinions of bloggers that really do not have much background in teaching methods, and OBVIOUSLY do not know what a scholarly reference is to begin with. I remember taking “Logic and Critical Thinking” in college and we had many assignments that was meant to accomplish this result. It basically teaches the student to intelligently prove the writing without using the author as proof of validity. Although I do not know this teacher, it sounds like a VERY GOOD teaching method by an informed and educated teacher. Of course the Kool-Aid drinkers can still get their kids taught at private schools where teachers can’t even pass the Praxis. But hey, they get prayer time, so it must be good, huh?

By Bill Allen

April 8, 2008 8:18 AM | Link to this

One Man,

I can tell you what the point was not: The Fair Tax. I said so at the beginning of the essay: I have not read anything about the Fair Tax, so my intent here is neither to support nor discredit the legislation. That’s what Patty meant. Everybody try to keep focused here.

Substitute steroids for the Fair Tax, and Jose Canseco for Neal Boortz, if you want. Or any other sports writer. Or, substitute global warming for the Fair Tax, and Al Gore for Neal Boortz.

It’s not about the topic. It’s about the lack of respect the student showed the teacher. If I had been the student, I would have said, “Fine. I won’t use vogue references. I’ll use an Econ book. Or Encata. Whatever. If I can’t use my source, I certainly won’t won’t use my teacher’s source. I’ll find my own.” I’ve done that, when I was a student.

That was how I protested. Not by airing my dirty laundry on the radio. By using my own mind to say, “I don’t need your help. I’ll do it myself.”

That’s the point.

By Jason

April 14, 2008 6:34 PM | Link to this

Dear Bill,

First and foremost, I think it quite unfortunate that you have decided to air your disagreement with the student through mass media. Your argument, namely that the student should have taken the issue up with her teacher instead of calling a talk radio show, rings hollow now that you have lambasted the student in the mass media as well. Except, far from a student calling foul on a teaching professional, you have taken a child to task! I cannot believe that you would argue that she should not have contacted Neal Boortz while at the same time doing the exact same thing. The only significant difference? That the student called out an adult, while you decided to call out a child.

Also, you have no idea whether the student attempted to resolve the issue by approaching her teacher. To simply assume that the student was lazy and “not up to the task” is irresponsible journalism. Had you attempted to check the facts of your “story,” I am confident that you would have found a responsible young-adult who only approached a talk radio show as a last resort.

Also, as to your point that this student was obviously not taught to respect her elders, where would this country be were it not for so-called “activists” challenging authority figures? The American Revolution had a little something to do with challenging authority, and I think we can all agree that has put us in a positive place. I find it refreshing that the future of our nation is beginning to think for themselves and challenge the status quo with an eye towards enacting the change that our country so desperately needs.

Finally, it is incomprehensible and, quite honestly, disgusting to me that you would compare the FairTax book written by Boortz and Congressman John Linder to Mein Kampf, written by the most absolutely despicable man to ever walk this planet. Far from setting out a plan to rid the world of an entire race, the FairTax book comments on and proposes a solution for something that the majority of Americans want to reform - the IRS.

In sum, by calling out a student in not only paper print (where it will remain forever) as well as on the internet, you have done something far worse than the student here. You have discouraged the youth of today from respectfully standing up to authority in an effort to hold them accountable for their actions.

By Sandra

April 16, 2008 3:47 PM | Link to this

Bill Allen, shame on you. If yours is an example of “responsible journalism”, then we are all in trouble. You obviously did no research at all before writing your blog here. Where do you get off calling someone “a snot-nosed kid”? Name-calling is something that nice, responsible adults (elders) always do, isn’t it? Believe me, that student is no “snot-nosed kid”! And, that student doesn’t need you or anyone else putting words into her mouth as you did when you made the comment about her being “all p** off…..” Nothing could have been further from the truth. She is quite capable of fighting her own battles. And re. your comment about her not being taught to respect her elders. I know that young lady; she was taught to respect her elders, just not every elder. You are her elder. You don’t respect yourself enough to write responsibly, why should she or anyone else? If you were in her presence for even 20 minutes, talking w/her the entire time, I’m sure you would feel compelled to write her a letter of apology! It’s such a shame that you are one of those responsible writers who appears to be of the mindset of so many adults of today regarding teenagers—“one teenager is bad, so the whole lot of them is, and that is how we will treat them!” Where would we be today without you?

By Priyanka Gandhi

April 17, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this

Mr. Allen, I have actually already written a response to this that has already been run in the AJC. However, I only had 150 words. Now I can say more. Let me start off by saying that you clearly did not do your research on this topic before you wrote. Our classes were assigned to write a RESEARCH paper. I might be wrong (after all, I’m just a childish, lazy, and immature student, right? Just a product of public education that you seem to value so greatly), but sources are more relevant than opinion in a research paper because it enforces opinion. Calling out a student and defaming her is just wrong. I think that you should have thought about this a little more before you wrote. As her peer, she really is intelligent and hard-working. I mean, she CALLED her source’s AUTHOR. you have no write to make this judgment. Thank you.

By Priyanka Gandhi

April 17, 2008 9:08 AM | Link to this

Mr. Allen, I have actually already written a response to this that has already been run in the AJC. However, I only had 150 words. Now I can say more. Let me start off by saying that you clearly did not do your research on this topic before you wrote. Our classes were assigned to write a RESEARCH paper. I might be wrong (after all, I’m just a childish, lazy, and immature student, right? Just a product of public education that you seem to value so greatly), but sources are more relevant than opinion in a research paper because it enforces opinion. Calling out a student and defaming her is just wrong. I think that you should have thought about this a little more before you wrote. As her peer, she really is intelligent and hard-working. I mean, she CALLED her source’s AUTHOR. you have no write to make this judgment. Keep in mind, you’re talking about an AP Lang student, not your typical “lazy” and “immature” teenager. Just keep that in mind next time, please. Thank you.

By JP

May 13, 2008 5:31 PM | Link to this

I was writing a much longer comment, but I think I’ll just say “Bill, you are truly a douche-nozzle.” That pretty much sums it up.