Posts Tagged ‘hard’
Nearly as soon as I joined the veterans’ band, I had a dinnertime conversation with an exceptionally loquacious saxophone player, whose lips become all the more loose the more wine he sips. Though I was sober, I take after my father as argumentative and a little pedantic — we were matched. Being musicians, our first concern was music.
We started our discussion by arguing about the finer plot points of My Fair Lady — mainly, was it in character for Prof. Higgins to “fall in love” with Miss Doolittle? I submit that it was not, considering that’s what an annoyed George Bernard Shaw believed — and we kept talking music from there. He told me the story about a recalcitrant daughter and her horrible taste in music; he talked about his collection of music, and how he has excellent taste in music.
I wanted to test his assertion, and add a fair share of jazz and baroque to my iTunes. We arranged a handoff of my hard drive sometime in the next month.
At the next rehearsal, of course, I forgot to bring my hard drive. He said:
You liberals are all the same. You’re always doing stuff like that.
I laughed, because not only am I not a liberal, that was a pretty obtuse assumption — because I’m young, and, by implication, foolish, I’m a liberal? Because I reneged on the deal, I’m a liberal? I wasn’t offended, but I took it he meant it as a playful insult, but an insult nonetheless, so I remembered.
What should happen on the next rehearsal but he forgets to bring back my hard drive?
You liberals are all the same. You’re always doing stuff like that.
He laughed — eventually. I will, however, remember forever the expression of shock and awe on that existed on his face for a just few split seconds.
Believe-you-me, he did not like them apples.
I cribbed the title from a worthwhile essay in a similar vein, so credit there where due.
Every day of the Camera Guy’s job is like a new teacher’s first day of school set at a high speed. He meets between 120 and 350 students every day. Unlike a new teacher, he must within two minutes establish a rapport with student, along the way convincing each to stop squirming, to refrain from giggling, to look at the camera and to crack a smile. Half of your student body does their darndest to avoid smiling, and not just because they have braces.
Depending on how far away from a big city your school is, he probably had to wake up before you did. He arrives with the janitors or, if he’s late, the head secretary.
Your gymnasium, multipurpose room and that place where they keep the wrestling mats are rarely pleasant. On any picture day earlier than October, they double as noisy, crowded saunas. Even the library’s air conditioning is little comfort when the exterior doors are open.
The exterior doors are always open; the sun always blazes.
Like teachers, he’ll work long hours, ending the day with physical fatigue and emotional exhaustion, but teachers can avoid most heavy lifting. Camera Guy can’t. Exacerbating matters, it’s against the rules for him to sit down while on company time. He might cheat this rule. He might not.
Though the bell rings in the early afternoon, the lucky Camera Guys leave at about the same time as a lingering teacher. He will get home later than most teachers, much later in case he needs to drop off equipment at the office, or fill out his timesheets, his mileage forms and his TPS reports.
Three years of this earns him a company ring. Most Camera Guys don’t last that long.
As seasonal work paid through wages and timesheets, there’s no chance in hell Camera Guy can feel self-righteous or spiritually fullfilled about school photography the way some feel about their work. In short, his job isn’t any easier and, in the short run, is much less rewarding than yours.
I hestitated including sample questions just in case students happened upon this site, but I sucked it up and got over it. As per request, here are three representative questions from the harder parts of my Bill of Rights test.
Assume justices on the Supreme Court determined that Americans possess a right to privacy. Which Amendment could not have implied that right?
a. Fourth.
b. Seventh.
c. Ninth.
d. Fourteenth.
Or another:
According to the precise wording of the Eighth Amendment, which of the following actions is prohibited to government agents?
a. Forcing self-incrimination.
b. Torture of potential terrorists.
c. Every type of execution ever.
d. Cruel and unusual punishment.
Or another:
Soldiers enter your home to stay the night without permission of its owner. They find a gun that is illegal to own under federal law. Which amendment’s protections would not be debated?
a. Second.
b. Third.
c. Fourth.
d. Fifth.
That’s what I’m talking about.
These questions require students to piece together what they know about all amendments in question, and then go through the process of elimination.
Keeping with common practice, all the questions are complete sentences, and all answers are generally about the same length.
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