The Value of Words

I think it was my last speech teacher (in a class entitled, “Business Communications”), that harped and harped and harped on the “value” of words.

“Do NOT ever use a 25 cent word when a dime word will do.  And, unless you want to seem a pompous arse, NEVER use a dollar word unless absolutely necessary.”

(This was her idea of excusing those in the scientific and medical communities.)

So, for example, you would opt for “sunroom” rather than “solarium”.

I have spent a good deal of time this weekend going over economic stuff.  Let me just say, to all economist authors that I have thus far come across, I happen to know a fantastic “Business Communications” course that you would be well-advised to take!

Because, honestly, if you can’t describe it simply I have a hard time believing that even you understand what you are saying!

Computer Caper

This is a follow-up to a previous post found here.

So this coming year I will be teaching computers, and because I truly do not like re-inventing the wheel, I thought I would look online for material.

To be perfectly honest, I was not expecting a lot.  I tend to find pieces/parts of things I like but it is rare indeed for me to settle onto a single item and declare it “good”.

So, you need to keep that in mind when I say I found a FANTASTIC computer literacy program!

Here’s the address:  http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/index.html

Please note, you can do the class on-line for FREE!

(For my class though, we will purchase teacher/student licenses, as I can too easily see kids saying, “Mrs. Christine our internet died and I couldn’t do my homework.”)

Now, in reference to my prior post. . .this online class far surpasses the college level computer technology course my son took!  I still have his books that he purchased for that course – for well over $100, that the college wouldn’t accept back - and they far exceed the material in there.  I have the memories of his gripes from that class because he said he didn’t learn anything that he didn’t already know. . .except for the computer tests that they took were so limited that if it asked you to copy and paste an item it would only take one of the multiple ways you could answer the question, and that was always a crap-shoot.

So, let’s think about that.

Cost for class at local college:  $366.  Cost for books:  @ $150 — we’ll just round it to $500 for a sub-par course. (per student)

OR $30 for teacher license and $5 per student license for a brilliant course.

Which makes you wonder at the amount we are paying for a piece of paper rather than for the actual knowledge gained. . .

Now, this course is from a “Windows” point-of-view.  However, you can certainly apply a good portion of it to Macs as well (and for Windows users you needn’t have a very specific OS or Office version).

Oh, and I will say the one thing I have currently found this course “lacking in” is teaching “internet safety”.  (It does discuss worms / Trojans / malware, etc. Yet, I was hoping for something more.)

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Too bad I can’t say the same about economics.

The one thing I can say about economics is that it seems as if there must be some unwritten law that all economics text producers adhere to.  Somewhere in the preface or forward of every text you will find some statement akin to, “Welcome to the exciting study of economics; it is not as dull as you may fear.”

Yet, the very first chapter of each book though will have you so thoroughly bored to tears that you will very quickly come to the conclusion that these authors are seriously warped.

*sigh*

Know Your Audience

So, last week I was asked to speak at co-op to the families.  According to our directory, there are 48 families. . . .and I don’t even know half of them.

I think I have just now recovered from the whole ordeal.

I despise talking in public!  I mean, forget knocking knees; we are talking sick stomach, nerves that will set my entire body into violent shakes, etc.  Worse, when I actually stand up to speak I have been known to break into tears.

Public speaking = one of my worst nightmares.

But, I did it; and it’s done.  Sometimes that is an answered prayer in and of itself.

Now some people, who erroneously think they are funny, keep coming up to me and suggesting that I teach public speaking next year.

Umm, not a chance in Hades!

However, as I have mentioned, I have had the “good fortune” (rolling eyes here) of being required to take public speaking in colleges not only once, or twice, but actually THREE times.  (Two separate colleges that just refused to accept that class from the college prior.)

One thing that was drilled into my head by my first “speech” teacher was to “know your audience”.

And, then, she assigned me to teach about selling Tupperware, to a class of 15 – only two of which were female and married.

Fast forward to last Friday, and I was going to talk about flaws in cross-stitch, as an object lesson related to God’s love.  I spent a good deal of time taking into account that 80-90% of those listening could care less about my topic or even the entire devotion time.  Based on the feedback I’ve received, I at least did a great job in considering my audience.

Yesterday I was talking to a friend about text books for highschool.  The specific author / publisher brought up probably, in my opinion, produces one of the most DULL and uninteresting books available on the market.

OH. MY.

I mean when you start to imagine the voice of Charlie Brown’s teacher within the first paragraph, just to make it more interesting. . .You know you’re in trouble!

And I sat there and wondered. . .and I thought. . .and I considered many of the other publications out there on this topic (as well as others), and it suddenly occurred to me:

“Textbook publishers do NOT take into account their audience!”

NOT.  AT.  ALL.

In fact, if I were to look at most of these books closely, I bet I would find almost all of them are written to some “national standard” list.  Not actually written to inspire a student to learn.

Umm, except, I know it’s a newsflash and all, but a list of standards is NOT actually the *who* you should be writing to!  In fact, if that is truly what publishers are doing, then schools, you would be much better off just printing the standards from the various national standards sites, chucking them at your students and telling them there will be a test in 6 weeks.  Honestly, with books this dry, you’ll be giving the students just about as much. . .

What happened to generating interest?  Induce a DESIRE to learn.  Yes, some subjects will be drab to some people but, GEEZ, give the students a chance to be interested first!

I’m looking at curricula for next year’s class, and each book I’ve looked at thus far just inspires me to think that this particular work will make an excellent doorstop.

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In somewhat related news you may have noticed a lack of postings of late (i.e. the last year or so).  Well, this has arisen due to the fact that for the first time more of my blog audience actually knows my family.  I have thus been forbidden to speak of them, unless they give me specific permission.

They are very stingy on their permissions.

So, I suppose this blog needs to evolve. . .