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Just Sven
Editor
2 months ago

First!

Good morning GN!

Almost the weekend.

Just Sven
Editor
2 months ago
Reply to  Mac

Good morning, Mac -- how are things?

Paddy O'Furnijur
Editor
2 months ago

Sure Happy It’s Thursday, Gerbil Nation!
Good morning, Sven, and Mac!

A few months ago our director of business services asked me to find some information about one of our vendors -- companies that we allow students to spend their Learning Fund on. These are typically tutors or extra-curricular offerings. It turns out the business was created to offer tutoring to the owner’s kids. Apparently the director liked the amount of information I was able to provide and the speed with which I found it. Since then, I’ve been the go-to person for investigating companies. This morning it was one of our athletic learning centers. These are sports training centers that also have a place and time for the kids to do their schoolwork (obviously online). The kids often have only two hours per day for school and parents don’t seem to understand that the center is not a school and two hours per day is not enough.

Just Sven
Editor
2 months ago

Odd. If the parents have school-age kids, then they must be in their late twenties/early thirties at least. So they were in school ten to fifteen years ago. I know education has changed quite a bit, but they must have been attending their schools for the normal 6-8 hours per day plus homework. You’d think they would at least intuitively know that two hours isn’t enough.

Speaking of school, we watched The Holdovers last night. We enjoyed it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhKLpJmHhIg

Just Sven
Editor
2 months ago
Reply to  Mac

It was refreshing. Good dialogue, no CGI, no wokeness. It told a story with words and acting.

Just Sven
Editor
2 months ago
Reply to  Mac

No, it isn’t -- the 80’s version was awful. I saw Part One of the new version -- wasn’t too excited. I remember reading the book back in high school days more than once and the sequels.

Just Sven
Editor
2 months ago
Reply to  Mac

Good tips -- adding them to my list.

Paddy O'Furnijur
Editor
2 months ago

Sven -- in answer to your question about parents, they want their kid to go on to professional sports, or at least D1 in college. The sports academy tells them that they include school time, monitor progress, have tutors, etc. and the parents believe them because they want to. The parents of many of the 8th grade students apply to have their child repeat 8th grade due to “social or emotional” reasons. The real reason is so the kid is one year older in high school and will hopefully be a standout.

Just Sven
Editor
2 months ago

The real reason is so the kid is one year older in high school and will hopefully be a standout.

Wow. Ain’t that something. I never would have thought of someone doing that.

Paddy O'Furnijur
Editor
2 months ago
Reply to  Just Sven

We’ve had quite a number of 8th graders who are/were 15.

Just Sven
Editor
2 months ago

Back in my junior high or high school days, being a year older or younger created problems socially. If you were older, you were stupid; if you were younger, you were prey.

Paddy O'Furnijur
Editor
2 months ago
Reply to  Just Sven

Yep.