The Bob and a Congrats, Rolled Into One

I'd like to congratulate some people. I can't say who, because as you very well know I am unable to say who I really am. However, these four very special people successfully participated in a very special game with a name like "Bob". How did they do it? I've put the step-by-step directions below.

STEP 1: These people, along with a bunch of others, received a list of books to read. Then they tried as hard as they could to read as many of these 15 books as possible.

STEP 2: In April, everyone took a test that consisted entirely of trivia from each book. Even though everyone took the test, only 20 people actually passed. The foursome were among these.

STEP 3: The 20 people were formed into teams, four in each. The wonderful people I'm so proud of were one team, with a name like "Team C".

STEP 4: The five teams had two weeks to study as much as they could of these books. Every day a team would be forced to set aside some of their time and save it for Bob practice. And at 11:00, all five teams would meet together and eat their lunches while practicing, team against team.

STEP 5: At last, it was time for the Bob. Team C had worked very hard, and they were ready. The room was alive with the sound of buzzers buzzing as the five teams desperately tried to give the correct book title or author and bring their score up by at least one point. The air was thick with suspense when Mrs. D finally announced the winner.

STEP 6: It was a tie! The game wasn't over yet. Team C2, Team L, and Team B sat down at a seat reserved specially for them while Team C and Team D remained. The Bob continued!

STEP 7: Hardly a minute had gone by when the real winner emerged. It was Team C. Everyone clapped and cheered and the five teams went to a library for the reception.

STEP 8: Still the Bob wasn't over for Team C. They still had to move on to the finals. Team C2, Team B, Team L and Team D had no more part in the Bob, so they continued on with their lives as Team C worked yet even harder, which only makes their work even more impressive.

STEP 9: Finally, the finals! Team C competed with other teams from different schools and emerged as second-place winner.

STEP 10: After the finals, Team C returned to find that everyone had planned a clap-in for them. Go Team C!

I once again want to congratulate this amazing team for their work in Bob. They did amazing, and I hope you can agree.

Summer Homework: Why or Why Not?

Well, it's almost time for summer vacation and all of the students are very excited. Too bad there's one thing that could ruin the summer for all of them: summer homework. Kids get it all the time. Just look at middle school: they won't let you out of the building without some math pages or book reports to do in their spare time. Some people - including the students - think summer homework is a bad idea. Still others disagree. They think summer homework is absolutely wonderful for the learning process. So why should you say yes? Or, why should you say no?

WHY YOU SHOULD SAY "YES"

Summer vacation lasts three months, and in that amount of time kids could forget the things they learned in the last school year. Of course, there'll still be some grime left on the slate. Kids won't get total amnesia. But what kind of teacher enjoys teaching review multiplication - for the second time in a row! Besides, just because there will be lots of fun things to do doesn't mean every second of the day is booked. What should a kid do in their spare time? Sit and stare at a wall for three hours? Not a chance! But if they have work to turn in on the first day back at school, they might as well get it over with.

WHY YOU SHOULD SAY "NO"
Let's face it: no kid can do schoolwork 24/7. Summer is a time to relax and escape from the stressful days of school. If even that is taken over by homework, a kid might not want to go back to school when the school year re-starts its cycle. This could affect how well a kid does in school, which can affect their grade. And nobody, whether it's the kid, their teacher, or their parents, want those bad grades on a kid's report card!

So, what do you think? Is summer homework a good idea? Or is it a bad one?