Once upon a time, there were only three channels of TV, and they were celebrated as a wasteland. So 3 times 0 was 0. Since then there’s been “progress.” Now, on cable, there’s something like 180 channels (if you want to pay for them all…), but they are more than ever a wasteland, and 180 times 0 still equals 0. They’re installing fiber-optic cable in my neighborhood. Is there any chance that will be an improvement, or will it be just more trash faster?
I despise the comment/complaint/“instruction” to teachers, “Make the lessons interesting”. Not everyone finds the same things interesting. Also, it’s not about what the students (or teachers or parents, for that matter) want, but what the students need.
When I was in first grade, I hadn’t even seen a color television yet, and there were three stations. Calvin should know that life is boring only to boring people. — Earl Nightingale
Teachers have it really rough today because they are competing with Sesame Street. And an hour of Sesame Street is like a visit to an AD/HD child’s mind. Coincidence? The Count doesn’t think so…
Have you heard about the next planned “Survivor” show?Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped in an elementary classroom for 6 weeks. Each business person will be provided with a copy of their school district’s curriculum, and a class of 28 students. Each class will have 5 learning-disabled children, 3 with ADHD, 1 gifted child, and 2 who speak limited English. Three will be labeled as severe behavior problems.Each business person must complete lesson plans at least 3 days in advance with annotations for curriculum objectives and modify, organize or create materials accordingly. They will be required to teach the students, handle misconduct, implement technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, make bulletin boards, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences. They must also supervise recess and detention and monitor the hallways and restrooms. In addition they will complete drills for fires, tornadoes, or shooting attacks and assist with fundraisers.They must attend workshops, weekly faculty meetings, school improvement sessions; and curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor those students who are behind and strive to get their 2 non-English speaking children proficient enough to take the SOL and SAT-9 tests. If they are sick or having a bad day they must not let it show. Each day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into the program. They must maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment at all times.The business people will only have access to the golf course on the weekends after all teaching and preparation tasks are completed, but on their new salary they will not be able to afford it anyway. There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and the lunch hour will be limited to 30 minutes while supervising students.
The business people will only have access to the golf course on the weekends after all teaching and preparation tasks are completed, but on their new salary they will not be able to afford it anyway. There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and the lunch hour will be limited to 30 minutes while supervising students.On days when they do not have recess duty, the business people will be permitted to use the staff restroom during the 15 minutes that another survival candidate is supervising their students. They will also be provided with two 40-minute planning periods per week while their students are having music or art class in the classroom and one 40-minute planning period while their students are having physical education in the gym. If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials at that time.The business people must continually advance their education on their own time, preferably during the summer months, and pay for this advanced training themselves. This can be accomplished either by moonlighting at a second job or marrying someone with a lot of money.
And, of course, as the cartoon shows, they must always keep the lessons “fun”!! If PBS can do it, why can’t the teacher? The fact that “fun” for the intellectually gifted student and for the one who doesn’t actually understand much English may not be the same thing is just one of the issues to be addressed, and the “good” teacher manages it.
I always found the trick was to pretend it was interesting. A lot of subjects do have interesting features once you get past your initial resistance. I would take notes as cartoons or write left-handed to make the boring parts more challenging.
When I was Calvin’s age, we had nuns as teachers. Kids could think what they want (and probably will). But none of us would have dared -or even thought about daring - to say anything like that to them.
When I was a kid, as long as teachers taught what they were supposed to teach, it was my job to pay attention and learn. Sure, it was nice when the teachers made it more interesting, but getting poor grades because a teacher was not entertaining enough was no excuse.
BE THIS GUY 12 months ago
Does Calvin intend to spend the rest of his life sitting on the couch watching HBO?
codycab 12 months ago
“ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?”
Sugar Bombs 95 12 months ago
Was the internet a thing in ’93 yet?
Renatus Profuturus Frigeridus Premium Member 12 months ago
6 is the solution.
C 12 months ago
Preposterous. Where do they find these teachers?
Alexander the Good Enough 12 months ago
Once upon a time, there were only three channels of TV, and they were celebrated as a wasteland. So 3 times 0 was 0. Since then there’s been “progress.” Now, on cable, there’s something like 180 channels (if you want to pay for them all…), but they are more than ever a wasteland, and 180 times 0 still equals 0. They’re installing fiber-optic cable in my neighborhood. Is there any chance that will be an improvement, or will it be just more trash faster?
Bilan 12 months ago
To be entertained today, you’ll need subscriptions to Amazon Prime, Hulu, Paramount+ and others. You’re going to need a good job to afford that!
Izzy Moreno 12 months ago
I don’t know about Calvin, but I quit school and I’ve been bouncing around different jobs for too long now.
I think I may have wasted my future. I’ll keep you guys posted.
Never did manage to get unemployed, and collect gubment cheese, though.
californiamonty 12 months ago
I despise the comment/complaint/“instruction” to teachers, “Make the lessons interesting”. Not everyone finds the same things interesting. Also, it’s not about what the students (or teachers or parents, for that matter) want, but what the students need.
uniquename 12 months ago
Unfortunately Calvin, “Bugs Bunny” gets ruined in the future.
snsurone76 12 months ago
It’s what EVERYONE wants, Miss Wormwood! Why else are people so attached to their phones?
sandpiper 12 months ago
That’s Cal all over. The easy way or no way.
Erramontxu 12 months ago
Yes
Dr. Quatermass 12 months ago
Uhh, what’s cable? Also, what’s a phone book? Is that like when you have Facebook on your phone?
VegaAlopex 12 months ago
When I was in first grade, I hadn’t even seen a color television yet, and there were three stations. Calvin should know that life is boring only to boring people. — Earl Nightingale
BigDaveGlass 12 months ago
In a word, no…..
lalapalooza Premium Member 12 months ago
okay, let me try. Calvin, if there are 8 maggots in the apple and 2 pupate and emerge and fly away, how many maggots are still in the apple?
Huckleberry Hiroshima 12 months ago
Miss Wormwood appears to be entertained by food.
g04922 12 months ago
Yep… Calvin would fit right in with today’s Gen Z…. LOL
jagedlo 12 months ago
cable…a good wifi connection…streaming services…food and grocery delivery, etc…
MS72 12 months ago
cut the cord and stream
Wizard of Ahz-no relation 12 months ago
cable? that dates it.
Count Olaf Premium Member 12 months ago
Teachers have it really rough today because they are competing with Sesame Street. And an hour of Sesame Street is like a visit to an AD/HD child’s mind. Coincidence? The Count doesn’t think so…
DM2860 12 months ago
But endless movies gets boring after a while
Mumblix Premium Member 12 months ago
Sheesh – reading these comments makes me feel like I’m the last person that still has cable TV.
mfrasca 12 months ago
Ennui, the parent of expensive and ruinous vices.
—Ninon de L’Enclos
vaughnrl2003 Premium Member 12 months ago
Probably not, but the question is will you be able to afford it?
old_geek 12 months ago
Was lately constrained to a tv that only had cable.
100+ channels. Nothing was worth watching.
Managed to hook the hdmi to the laptop and stream stuff I wanted to watch.
royq27 12 months ago
Hopefully he is living someplace where he can afford cable.
Geezer 12 months ago
Cable? His TV has rabbit ears:
https://assets.amuniversal.Com/fab87cd0deb701317193005056a9545d
ChessPirate 12 months ago
“Today, class, Calvin will solve the equation 8 – 2 =, or he will be sent to the Principal’s Office. Enthralling enough for you?”
BiggerNate91 12 months ago
This didn’t age well
mindjob 12 months ago
He will outgrow his need to watch blood and gore on TV.
Diane Lee Premium Member 12 months ago
Have you heard about the next planned “Survivor” show?Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped in an elementary classroom for 6 weeks. Each business person will be provided with a copy of their school district’s curriculum, and a class of 28 students. Each class will have 5 learning-disabled children, 3 with ADHD, 1 gifted child, and 2 who speak limited English. Three will be labeled as severe behavior problems.Each business person must complete lesson plans at least 3 days in advance with annotations for curriculum objectives and modify, organize or create materials accordingly. They will be required to teach the students, handle misconduct, implement technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, make bulletin boards, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences. They must also supervise recess and detention and monitor the hallways and restrooms. In addition they will complete drills for fires, tornadoes, or shooting attacks and assist with fundraisers.They must attend workshops, weekly faculty meetings, school improvement sessions; and curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor those students who are behind and strive to get their 2 non-English speaking children proficient enough to take the SOL and SAT-9 tests. If they are sick or having a bad day they must not let it show. Each day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into the program. They must maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment at all times.The business people will only have access to the golf course on the weekends after all teaching and preparation tasks are completed, but on their new salary they will not be able to afford it anyway. There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and the lunch hour will be limited to 30 minutes while supervising students.
Diane Lee Premium Member 12 months ago
The business people will only have access to the golf course on the weekends after all teaching and preparation tasks are completed, but on their new salary they will not be able to afford it anyway. There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and the lunch hour will be limited to 30 minutes while supervising students.On days when they do not have recess duty, the business people will be permitted to use the staff restroom during the 15 minutes that another survival candidate is supervising their students. They will also be provided with two 40-minute planning periods per week while their students are having music or art class in the classroom and one 40-minute planning period while their students are having physical education in the gym. If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials at that time.The business people must continually advance their education on their own time, preferably during the summer months, and pay for this advanced training themselves. This can be accomplished either by moonlighting at a second job or marrying someone with a lot of money.
And, of course, as the cartoon shows, they must always keep the lessons “fun”!! If PBS can do it, why can’t the teacher? The fact that “fun” for the intellectually gifted student and for the one who doesn’t actually understand much English may not be the same thing is just one of the issues to be addressed, and the “good” teacher manages it.
John Jorgensen 12 months ago
Oh, yeah, because everything on cable TV is wall-to-wall entertainment.
mistercatworks 12 months ago
I always found the trick was to pretend it was interesting. A lot of subjects do have interesting features once you get past your initial resistance. I would take notes as cartoons or write left-handed to make the boring parts more challenging.
rshive 12 months ago
When I was Calvin’s age, we had nuns as teachers. Kids could think what they want (and probably will). But none of us would have dared -or even thought about daring - to say anything like that to them.
liberalnlovinit 12 months ago
Calvin, you could commit massive real estate fraud and spend a lot of time in court. That should be entertaining…
The Nameless Wonder 12 months ago
557 channels and ain’t nothing on!
hagarthehorrible 12 months ago
Now you don’t even need cable. The wifi can take care of your entertainment.
hagarthehorrible 12 months ago
Amused at the confident pose by Calvin in the last panel.
JoeMartinFan Premium Member 12 months ago
When I was a kid, as long as teachers taught what they were supposed to teach, it was my job to pay attention and learn. Sure, it was nice when the teachers made it more interesting, but getting poor grades because a teacher was not entertaining enough was no excuse.