more on high school

I also put this wretched essay that says nothing but B.S. in my portfolio:

"The skills learned in chemistry are readily applicable in other fields. Through observation and experimentation practical application of knowledge is learned. The analytical processes are awakened in chemistry, and logic prevails over discontinuous thought. In order to learn chemistry, discipline, concentration and patience are necessary. These skills are transferred to other areas of focus."

If one of my kids wrote this and I saw it, I would have pointed out that this essay is "crap" and says nothing at all. Why it won second place I have no idea, except that the other essays must have been even worse. *Shudder*

I quoted myself in the Freedom Academy Yearbook (leadership camp for the Utah National Guard--since I didn't get invited to go to the real leadership camp that year):

"In America we have the right to be right and the right to be wrong."

Ouch! Not only did I say that, but I actually put it in my portfolio. What was I thinking? Was I smart enough to be using irony even then?

And here is something that was trying to be funny (I tried that a lot in high school and college and am not sure I ever succeeded):

Everyone seems to have a quirk of some sort that sets him apart as an individual. For some reason, teachers seem to have the most and the most noticeable mannerisms--teacherisms--of anyone. Coach Don Chamberlain is among the most famous for his teachisms. For one, his classroom technique sets him above the crowd. A casual observer might not notice that Coach, as he lounges against the chalkboard, looks amazingly like the poster of Tom Selleck displayed behind him (minus the paunch and graying hair, of course), Most phenomeonal about Coach is his colorful vocabulary. Only experience students will be able to understand terms such as "sucking eggs" (a problem with negative variables under even roots), "biffing it" (doing it incorrectly), "factor like wild Indians" (do that icky algebra because I'm not going to) and "sitiation" (any mathematical equation).