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Post by strummer8526 on Apr 17, 2011 12:11:12 GMT -5
If you're not an English major, how many books do you have to read cover-to-cover for a class? It's not like they're assigning novels in accounting classes. Even history, government, sociology, etc.—you really only read select chapters of most texts. As for high schools, unless you go to a really academically rigorous school, you're almost an idiot if you do read everything assigned because, in the end, what's the point? If you're bright enough, failing a class in high school is like falling on your face on the sidewalk. There's no excuse for it.
At this point, the kid is a lock to be a professional athlete. He's getting a college degree in 3 years. And he seems to be well-spoken and well-behaved. As fun as it is to bash our rivals, I'm going to leave this one alone.
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hoya9797
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Post by hoya9797 on Apr 17, 2011 17:18:04 GMT -5
Forget reading for schoolwork, what about reading a book because it's interesting or entertaining. This is incomprehensible to me. And, I agree, nobody should be graduating from a college, any college, without ever having read a book.
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Post by LizziebethHoya on Apr 17, 2011 17:24:12 GMT -5
For that matter, no one should be graduating ELEMENTARY SCHOOL without ever having read a book
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RDF
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Post by RDF on Apr 17, 2011 17:35:16 GMT -5
There is no such thing as "graduating in 3 years" from Uconn-it's a joke of a school. When the library runs out of crayons--the students dont' know what to do.
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kchoya
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Post by kchoya on Apr 17, 2011 20:09:13 GMT -5
If you're not an English major, how many books do you have to read cover-to-cover for a class? It's not like they're assigning novels in accounting classes. Even history, government, sociology, etc.—you really only read select chapters of most texts. As for high schools, unless you go to a really academically rigorous school, you're almost an idiot if you do read everything assigned because, in the end, what's the point? If you're bright enough, failing a class in high school is like falling on your face on the sidewalk. There's no excuse for it. At this point, the kid is a lock to be a professional athlete. He's getting a college degree in 3 years. And he seems to be well-spoken and well-behaved. As fun as it is to bash our rivals, I'm going to leave this one alone. I wasn't an English major and I read several books in of several different classes in many different subjects -- many of them being classes required in the first two years. There's no way to spin this as being acceptable, and that's not being high & mighty, pious, etc.
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Post by strummer8526 on Apr 17, 2011 22:03:04 GMT -5
I'm not saying it's good that he's never read a book. But given the different path he's been on compared to most (probably all) of us, I just think we could lay off. How many books you think AI has gotten through in his life? How many books do you think your average Georgetown business school student reads cover-to-cover in a semester? Would I want my son to be 20 years old, never having read a book? Absolutely not. But to act like it's unfathomable for an athlete of Kemba's caliber to be in that position is absurd.
We're obviously just looking for a reason to try to take the guy down a peg because we're bitter that he carried a team through two tournaments that we bombed out of. That's fine, but he still got a college degree in three years, he still lifted the trophy this season (3 of them, actually), and he's still going to get his payday(s) as a professional athlete. Our thoughts on his literary acumen look sort of petty in comparison.
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kchoya
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Post by kchoya on Apr 17, 2011 23:22:27 GMT -5
I'm not saying it's good that he's never read a book. But given the different path he's been on compared to most (probably all) of us, I just think we could lay off. How many books you think AI has gotten through in his life? How many books do you think your average Georgetown business school student reads cover-to-cover in a semester? Would I want my son to be 20 years old, never having read a book? Absolutely not. But to act like it's unfathomable for an athlete of Kemba's caliber to be in that position is absurd. We're obviously just looking for a reason to try to take the guy down a peg because we're bitter that he carried a team through two tournaments that we bombed out of. That's fine, but he still got a college degree in three years, he still lifted the trophy this season (3 of them, actually), and he's still going to get his payday(s) as a professional athlete. Our thoughts on his literary acumen look sort of petty in comparison. I could care less how he played. Some things are wrong no matter who the person is or what he accomplished. I bet everyone on this thread would be saying the same thing if we were talking about a player, say, in the Pac-10 who had no connection to GU.
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theexorcist
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Post by theexorcist on Apr 18, 2011 8:36:38 GMT -5
When I was at Georgetown back in the Paleolithic era, I don't recall reading many books cover to cover for school rather than for pleasure (exception - I devoured Longitude by Dava Sobel for Explorers, Warriors and Statesmen and heavily recommend it - I think that I also finished History of the Pelopponesian War for the class of the same name, which was also great). Add to that the fact that many high school English textbooks that I've seen include snippets of books, rather than full ones. And that not reading for pleasure is by far the norm among men. And that college for non-humanities majors either works from a textbook or from additional sources, none of which most finish. Conclusion - I can see him not having read a book and not really being that much worse off than most of those graduating this year for it. Short version - In a world where numerous NCAA men's basketball players, especially African-Americans, never graduate, Kemba graduated in three years. That's to be celebrated. What we should get out the pitchforks for is for UConn's abysmal graduation rate for its men's team of 33% ( www.cga.ct.gov/2009/rpt/2009-R-0129.htm ).
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Apr 18, 2011 9:10:07 GMT -5
Even if you're not an English major, shouldn't you have to take an English class or two to graduate?
Call me cynical if you like, but I'm a little doubtful that Kemba Walker got a 5 in high school AP English (....also without ever reading a book?)
I do, however (contradictory as it may seem), agree with exorcist's last point.
I have no doubt that Kemba Walker got a lot of "coast credits" on his way to graduation, as many big time athletes certainly do, but he did graduate. Good for him.
Now go read some more, Kemba, hell even if you're just reading Stephen King.
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ksf42001
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Post by ksf42001 on Apr 18, 2011 10:07:38 GMT -5
"People got the story all wrong like always. I read a lot of books just not from start to finish."
I completely understand Kemba, I used to jump to the end to figure out who did it in the Hardy Boys books too...
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Apr 18, 2011 10:13:33 GMT -5
Short version - In a world where numerous NCAA men's basketball players, especially African-Americans, never graduate, Kemba graduated in three years. That's to be celebrated. What we should get out the pitchforks for is for UConn's abysmal graduation rate for its men's team of 33% ( www.cga.ct.gov/2009/rpt/2009-R-0129.htm ). That pretty much sums up the story for me too. Seems like we should be focusing on the big issue, the real story, not the kid who came in and got it done -- on the court AND in class. I am sure there are a LOT of folk on this board who managed to do quite well in many many classes without reading a book for those classes from cover to cover.
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theexorcist
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Post by theexorcist on Apr 18, 2011 10:34:30 GMT -5
"People got the story all wrong like always. I read a lot of books just not from start to finish." I completely understand Kemba, I used to jump to the end to figure out who did it in the Hardy Boys books too... Come on. Mock Calhoun, not Kemba. If you're not reading a pleasure book, lots of people skip chapters that aren't of significant interest. Kemba's not a book person. Lots of people aren't. Let's not use it to mock him.
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tashoya
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Post by tashoya on Apr 18, 2011 10:48:36 GMT -5
Congrats to Kemba for graduating in 3 years. I just wonder how it's remotely possible to have not read a book cover to cover. My nephew is 7 and he's required to read a certain number of books cover to cover for each marking period. Nephew 12, Kemba 1.
The schools I went to before going to Georgetown had woefully inept English teachers for the most part. That said, I was still required to read a few dozen books in those classes over the years. At the least, these players should be required to read a book or 5 on financial management as way too many of these guys end up with nothing to show for all of their effort and work when their playing days are done.
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hoyainspirit
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Post by hoyainspirit on Apr 18, 2011 11:04:06 GMT -5
Short version - In a world where numerous NCAA men's basketball players, especially African-Americans, never graduate, Kemba graduated in three years. That's to be celebrated. What we should get out the pitchforks for is for UConn's abysmal graduation rate for its men's team of 33% ( www.cga.ct.gov/2009/rpt/2009-R-0129.htm ). That pretty much sums up the story for me too. Seems like we should be focusing on the big issue, the real story, not the kid who came in and got it done -- on the court AND in class. I am sure there are a LOT of folk on this board who managed to do quite well in many many classes without reading a book for those classes from cover to cover. This. Though I went to college many years ago, I am almost certain that I never read a book cover to cover while I was in school. And though I was a science major, I did take those crappy english, history, and other "soft" classes that one must take to graduate and that always had some reading lists. We all view the world through the prism of our personal experience. Kemba's world is likely extremely different than that of many on this board. Give the kid credit for a significant accomplishment in his world.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Apr 18, 2011 11:34:03 GMT -5
And though I was a science major, I did take those crappy english, history, and other "soft" classes that one must take to graduate and that always had some reading lists. Hey Now!! Don't make me beat you senseless with my copy of The Riverside Shakespeare. Science. Pffftt! What the hell has science ever done for us? ;D
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Apr 18, 2011 11:59:16 GMT -5
I can understand not reading a book cover to cover for a class in college heck maybe even highschool if you're smart enough. But Come on never? Not even in middle school or grade school? complete joke. Bet he never even read a picture book cover to cover.
And there's no way a person can go through their entire life and never read a book from cover to cover. I just can't believe it's possible. Who doesn't read a book in their entire life for fun at least once?
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rosslynhoya
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Post by rosslynhoya on Apr 18, 2011 12:07:44 GMT -5
The schools I went to before going to Georgetown had woefully inept English teachers for the most part. That said, I was still required to read a few dozen books in those classes over the years. You actually DID the reading and ended up at Georgetown What about your classmates? At all levels of education, it is very easy to get by without actually doing the alleged "required" reading. In my junior year of high school, I started to suspect (afterschool special-style) that one of my classmates was not able to read; an endless string of girlfriends willing to cover for him got him pretty far. More to the point, one of my coworkers made a comment more or less bragging about taking a whole YEAR of history in college. One semester of History of Television Drama and one semester of History of Jazz. No books used in either. No matter how much we might bash the Sociology of Sport classes that fill up our athletes' courseloads, I think many of us fail to appreciate how lax most non top-50 colleges are for all of their students.
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theexorcist
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Post by theexorcist on Apr 18, 2011 12:45:48 GMT -5
I can understand not reading a book cover to cover for a class in college heck maybe even highschool if you're smart enough. But Come on never? Not even in middle school or grade school? complete joke. Bet he never even read a picture book cover to cover. And there's no way a person can go through their entire life and never read a book from cover to cover. I just can't believe it's possible. Who doesn't read a book in their entire life for fun at least once? Lots of people! Check out www.guysread.com, which is specifically designed to get boys and guys to read. This is a massive problem that gets into lots of other things like boys graduating high school and college at lower rates than girls. And I think that we're getting all Kantian on Kemba. This is why I fear celebrity in the internet age - one quick comment, about a book he DID READ, gets an immediate "he never read anything" attached to it. I'm assuming that Kemba, when he was younger, finished The Cat in the Hat, but didn't really consider it a "legit" book. One misstep with words gets him in deep trouble. I've never "read" a book in French, though I have read some of the dinky twenty-page books in French for English learners. Once again, UConn is an accredited college and Kemba graduated in three years - which is better than I could do without playing Division I basketball. It's not worth it to denigrate him because he's not a reader.
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tashoya
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Post by tashoya on Apr 18, 2011 13:33:43 GMT -5
It's not that he's not a reader. He's only, according to him, ever read one book. And, for me, I didn't mean to denigrate the kid in the least. I was just curious as to how it's possible to not have read a book and he's graduating college. Sure, I've skimmed or read just enough of assigned material to get by but to never have acutally completed a book? That said, the time he spent not reading was obviously spent on more lucrative pursuits.
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TBird41
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Post by TBird41 on Apr 18, 2011 13:47:20 GMT -5
If Kemba hadn't been a basketball player, do people think he would have graduated in 3 years? Or did he get special treatment b/c he was on the team? Especially considering the fact that most of the players don't graduate but stay eligible?
And I say that in the context of UConn. We're not talking Harvard, Georgetown, Stanford, Duke, etc. We're talking about an "accredited university".
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