When I was in Salt Lake City in January, I saw a truck pulling one of those combination trailer/billboards. The ad was in support of Utah’s new school voucher program, wherein the state will pay you money not to send your kid to public school, or something like that.
Here is a picture I took of the billboard in question:
In case you can’t quite make it out, here’s an enlargement:
This is a pretty good endorsement for the voucher program, actually. The people who made this sign were probably educated by public schools, and look where it got them.
I don’t understand how people can think that that is correct. When I read about it in “Eats, Shoots and Leaves” I figured it was a British aberration. I am dismayed indeed to see it in the United States.
I’ll have to admit, I had to read it a couple times before I found the error. I think the voucher program is a good idea. If the child is not using the resources provided in the public school, a portion of the taxes that the parents pay should be available for their private school education. It would be nice to also have something available for home schoolers, but that would open the door to parents abusing the program to just put money in their own pockets without using it for educational purposes.
I never have understood the temptation to use an apostraphe to make a word plural. Some people, just love; using – as many! punctuation mark’s: as {possible}.
I heard a comedian several years ago (can’t remember who–sorry) say that apostrophes have come to mean “Warning! S approaching!”
I can understand an apostrophe slipping through in an email or something. But the number of people who had to look at that ad to approve it — it’s ridiculous.
I’m terrified of what text messaging will do to the rising generation. Makes me want to be an English teacher just so I can mock kids that fail to learn decent grammar.
Can I still get into heaven if I dislike stupid people?
Oh, I mean “kids WHO fail” — that was a grammar rule you taught me, Eric.
Though I must say it seems to be an accepted colloquialism, unlike aberrant apostrophe’s.
UGH. It hurts to even TYPE that.
Speaking of things that passed numerous editors’ scrutiny, has anyone heard that random radio commercial that says “did you know that onions in a paper bag in the refridgerator keeps them from sprouting for months”. Spoken out loud (as is it on the radio, of course) it sounds ever worse, and I don’t know how it got by anyone. Maybe they only had the lady in the studio that one day, and they were really set on using her voice.
Sure Randy – the FUN part of Heaven. I’m thinking it will be crowded, though.
This looks like a case for Bob the Angry Flower:
http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif
I gotta tell my favorite apostrophe catastrophe. A father enrolled his kid at my school, and the last name was Phillips. And yes, the father used an apostrophe in Phillip’s. I went to school with him, and I know that’s not the way his parents spelled it.
I dont see the problem. There billboard make’s sence too me.
I hate the voucher program, and Utah is stupid to implement it. They can’t even afford to have a textbook per child, and they want to take money out of schools that are sadly underfunded to help one child get a better education. The tuition for one child could probably buy a year group a set of textbooks. Or, you know, take a teacher’s salary out of the poverty level.
Yeah, can you tell I student taught there?
I didn’t even get to the “Parent’s” part… my brain was stuck on the “People need choice” and I was sure that’s what this blog entry was going to be about.
No, people need choices. Or “A choice.” not just “choice.”
I love Bob the Angry Flower! Thanks!
I’m confused by Chrystle’s last sentence. Took me a few go’s at.
>The tuition for one child could probably buy a year group a set of textbooks.
But if they are in the public school, then you would have to educate them, thereby making the problem worse.
Most voucher programs I’ve seen are nothing but a plus for the schools. They usually cost the system less than the government and taxes pay in. Utah might be a bit different. I can buy a full curriculum for about $800 dollars, yet the government spends > $8000 per student. And this is the curriculum that public school systems use for distance learning. I figure it would be a good thing for the system overall. A LOT cheaper.
$800 dollars. Wow. 18 Years of school did me a lot of good.