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One more homophone problem that I've seen in at least three authors' works here, one of them this week.
The lead on-site administrator of a school here in the U.S. is usually the principal.
It's never the principle. A principle is a thing, not a person.
Eric
Yes teacher. :)
Does that come with a rap on the knuckles with a ruler?
Much peace
Khaduuj
Well, it could hardly be a hard rap...
...since the Principal is our Pal.
He said, "Remember your moral values and principles, please."
Cheers,
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
But it's not the school
It's the principal of the thing.
There are many schools of thought
But VERY few principles of thought and even FEWER principals who think. (I know this for sure - my brother was a principal for many years plus I had to deal with quite a number of them personally, first as a student then as a teacher.) Now that I think about it more clearly there are not many schools which teach 'thinking' either, so I suppose those principles and principals come by their stupidity honestly.
with love,
Hope
with love,
Hope
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
Principal vs Principle
I have shuddered many times here on FB while reading the stories! The common errors seem to be "Principle" for the person in charge of a school or "Cloths" instead of "Clothes" for what we wear.
About Principals... I have been teaching for 20 years. In that time, I have had only one principal who was effective and a nice person. All the others were a waste of money and our time. That said, I do have praise for the Office Secretary and the school Custodian (Janitor). They really are the people who run the school!
Diane
Principals? At What Price?
Over the years I've served on a number of citizen committees to help the school district establish its budget.
Each time it comes down to three general areas that can be cut:
1.) Teachers,
2.) Programs, and
3.) Administration.
The principals and superintendent play their political tricks to make sure the administration is never touched. Our school district has an annual budget of about $20 million. Quite easily, about 10% is spent on administration. This is despite the fact that the school district is overrun with unpaid volunteers.
In the United States we are killing ourselves with burdensome taxes created by layers of excess management for our cities, counties and school districts. When will we learn that each school district doesn't have to be a fiefdom?
For example - each building has a Principal and every district has a Superintendent. How about one superintendent per county and one Principal each for elementary school, middle school, and high school?
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
>> burdensome taxes
The most important thing we can do for our society and country is to educate our children. The USA spends lots of money on public education, but gets little "bang" for the bucks, because most US primary education is under the control of local school boards mostly run by idiots. We're fairly low in the ranks worldwide, despite all the money thrown at the problem, because there are organised groups, some of which control school boards, who distrust any "book larnin'" that isn't "Readin' 'Ritin'" and 'Rithmetic, the famous "Three Rs," which ought to be embarrassing, boasting as it does of incredible ignorance, but somehow isn't to the people who say it.
Our schools are steadily disintegrating, because our politicians and voters are firm believers in the Free Lunch and would rather spend half a billion dollars on a sports stadium than schools any day, especially if the schools are actually teaching children to think.
Unfortunately, a stupid electorate is beneficial to politicians, so many support the "dumbing down" scheme with great enthusiasm.
Cheers,
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
>> A principle is a thing, not a person.
Indeed, and principal is an adjective promoted to a noun only through becoming the short half of a few noun phrases like "Principal Teacher" (Headmaster) or "Principal Officer" (Chief Executive Officer, and so on).
Cheers,
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Many folks remember...
this one, by the phrase "The Principle is NOT your 'PAL'." True, even if the Principle is a nice person.
Pals are as pals do...
The Principle is never a nice person, nor indeed a person at all.
My own Principals liked me all through my grammar and high school years. I quite liked them as well, as I was an outgoing and charming child, bright as a button.
Cheers,
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style