It isn’t a skirt it is a kilt

**Jock Scot** · 24th August 12, 02:57 AM

I suppose there are some advantages of living a long time------few---but there are some. I was born at the very end of "Victorianism"----I am not talking about the Victorian era---- in Scotland (1940). From then, I have seen the popularity of the kilt in Scotland wane during the 1950's and '60's to the popular re-emergence of the kilt in Scotland today. Not only in Scotland, but also interest from around the world is growing too. Styles come and go, dress conventions are more relaxed, but the kilt does seem remarkably resilient and yes there is , I hope, some kind education to be offered along the way by those whose ancestors have been at it a while, starting with the heading of:- "THE KILT IS NOT A SKIRT"

Now you chaps in the New World are only experiencing what we in Scotland(as part of the Old World) have experienced ourselves------except you are doing in a shorter time span aided(?) by modern communications and on a huge scale by comparison. We in Scotland have taken thousands of years to get where we are now and we are still evolving and we are still welcoming new cultures into our midst.

You chaps in the USA of today are only just at the beginning of a huge social experiment------not that anyone knew that in 1492 or any significant date since. So it is not surprising that you have many cultures that are jostling with each other and some have abandoned their past and some are clinging on to the past in one way or other ----------who knows where it will end and one thing is for sure it will never end whilst humans exist on this planet.

As to what tartans you chaps could wear, well there are dozens, hundreds even, that celebrate things that are non Scottish and I did pose a few thoughts on this in an old thread that I started: "Ponderings of an ancient Scot": the replies were really interesting and some of you might find it worthwhile taking the trouble in reading the quite large number of the posts.

Who knows, in a thousand years from now "Chuck" could well be telling "Jock" :

"Well that may be how you guys wear the kilt in Scotland, but we in the USA wear "our" tartan kilts like this..........................".

I am not altogether sure that that time has arrived just yet, though!

**sadkingbilly** · 24th August 12, 03:25 AM

***.

Evolution in progress

**Father Bill** · 24th August 12, 03:37 AM

Originally Posted by xman

correctly

Good "catch" X! Thanks!

**Kvasinka** · 24th August 12, 06:35 AM

Originally Posted by Friday

So if I do a "skirt check" and find no underpants it is a kilt? I am so confused.

Friday, don´t be confused, I posted this as a joke!!! Really, I am not angry or rude when somebody tell me "nice skirt". Usually I smile and explain that it´s a kilt because of ... (add any explanation). No need to do "skirt check"

**Friday** · 24th August 12, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Jock Scot

....

+ 1 .

**Mike_Oettle** · 24th August 12, 11:53 AM

Lyle1 wrote inter alia: “The sound of the pipes has always caused of a visceral reaction in me, but I have always known (even before I did the research) that there were reasons that I was born in the United States rather than in another country.”

Well put, Lyle. I identify strongly with your remark about the pipes, while I am similarly appreciative of having been born in South Africa.
My father, having been given any number of reasons why he ought to emigrate (mainly because of the shame and disgrace of apartheid) chose, and told his sons that he had chosen, to stay in this country because we would learn certain lessons better here than in any other country.
Regards,
Mike

**Father Bill** · 24th August 12, 12:27 PM

On the topic of plain English, the discussion above sent me searching through my computer archives and I found this memo to teachers back when I was a school principal. It contains some observations on that and other plain practice that some may find humourous, others boring, and some enfuriating. I hope that you're mostly in category #!

Feel free to skip to the next posting.

Please note with my comments on acronyms that this was written for a very closed audience where they were well known and frequently used so yes, there are some acronyms here.

Enjoy if so inclined.

MEMO TO: Teachers
FROM: Bill
SUBJECT: Report Cards: Some notes for teachers

Once again I am distributing this with the request to please accept these comments in the good humour with which they are intended. Report cards are a mind-numbing experience and I know how easy it is to make mistakes and fall into traps when we comment on the same program repeatedly.
It is wise to plan to complete your reports a week ahead of the due date, wait at least two days, and then read them as if you are a parent new to Ontario. When I did that, I was horrified at some assumptions I had made.
Try also to write simple prose. They write the newspaper at a Grade 4 level. It's a good target to use.
I'll update this list and re-print it for you from time to time. Honest, I'm not nagging; it's just good to keep some of these points in mind, and a number of you asked last time that I re-print them, so here they are!
1. As a personal favour, please fill my name in (under "principal") just as "Bill White." Not William, not Mr., not Dr., Sgt., Rev. or Cmdr; just "Bill."
2. Please do not use initials unless they are extremely well known outside of education circles. Nobody knows five years from now that the CAC is the Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre. If the child transfers to another town, the teacher won't know what it is next week. Many parents do not recognize "I.E.P.s," "L.D.s," or "A.D.H.D." On the other hand, there are few Canadians who do not know what the "R.C.M.P." is (or sadly, to be nationalistic for a moment, the "F.B.I." or the "C.I.A.") Similarly, when you refer to "Keys" the teacher in a school in Saskatoon won't know what you mean if the child transfers. Please speak generically of "our remedial reading program, ‘Keys' " or "our Keys to Literacy remedial program," or something like that. The same can be said of other programs. The public and the media often accuse us of "edu-babble." This is one guilty reason.

3. Although some people tell me that there are dictionaries which define them otherwise, the ones I use all say that "Practice" is a noun and "Practise" is a verb (just like "ice" and "is" which they contain). Further, that is the way our predecessors taught the parents of the children we teach and they therefore believe that it is correct. Please use the words that way to avoid arguments.

4. A typing hint: All punctuation should be "attached" to the word to which it refers, that is, no space before a comma, closing bracket, period, or closing quotes. No space after opening quotes or brackets. If you don't get this right, you may find that the punctuation ‘floats' onto a line away from the word and is very confusing.

5. Don't forget that the comments include "Next Steps." Those may not just be what you hope for from the student or plan to do yourself; they may be what you are asking parents to do at home!

6. If you teach a subject on exchange or rotary, please sign or at least initial your comments so that the parents know who to ask about the report.

7. "One on one" may be fine if you're an NBA basketball star, but people who speak English say "One to one."

8. If a box is "shared" (e.g. a Phys. Ed. teacher on rotary, but a homeroom health teacher) be sure that both parts get a comment, and that initials show who wrote what. Incidentally, Health and Phys. Ed. should each receive a comment each term.

9. Do not write comments that make implicit promises, especially regarding outside agencies. "Fred will continue to receive extra help," is encouraging to parents, but with cutbacks and re-definitions, do we really know that it is so? E.A. help, cooperation of outside agencies, and even Board organizations are not locked in, but you may have just signed a contract with the parents for life. On the other hand, it is fair ball within the use of good discretion to refer to help that has been received in the semester now finishing. Similarly we must not comment on areas which are beyond our qualifications, such as medical conditions or the results of prescriptions. It would be quite satisfactory, however to note "...a marked improvement in Fred's ability to pay attention this semester...." and let parents draw the obvious conclusions.

10. "French" has a capital. There is no such word as "french." Period. Not even if you're Fried!

11. "Problem-solve" is not a verb. "Fundraise" is not a verb. We may "...do fund raising," or "raise funds," but we cannot "fundraise." Avoid these new media creations. Our job is not to be trendy. If in doubt, separate them into their component words. "Role" is a noun. "Play" is a verb. Whether "roleplaying" is a verb is still open to some question. We'll know a century from now and implement our plan then.

12. Make sure that you personalize your comments to the student, but stick to the Provincial Expectations. Attitude is not an expectation. Participation is, but not the way the province words the expectations. Base your reports on quotes from the curriculum.

13. Please proofread. Especially proofread a statement if you plan to cut and paste it into all reports. Otherwise, it costs a lot of time and liquid paper. The best time to proofread is 24 hours after you write something. Sometimes we're horrified and wonder "Who ever wrote that nonsense?" I sure do when I read my own stuff next day! If you know you're particularly weak in this area, then write your basic comment in WordPerfect or some other software that has a spelling and grammar checker, then cut and paste electronically into your report card software. Saves a lot of grief.

14. Avoid all emotional opinions and statements such as "...no effort whatsoever..." "...far too competitive..." "...has very little control..." They tend to come back to bite us. Write in an emotionally detached style.

11 If you have to reduce the font to get all of your comments into the box, are you really communicating to your audience, or is it another example of "edu-babble?" Parents often cannot handle that amount of detail and you may be doing them a disservice.

15. Please use mature names for students. We can't expect as mature behaviour from a child who goes through life named "Teddy" or "Bobby" as we can from one we call "Ted" or "Bob."

16. If there is any risk of retention, we must mark it in both semesters (unless the child is on an I.E.P., in which case that is the intervention, not retention) and we should decide long before the year is too far underway. The new year is probably a good time to be talking about it. Retention is a decision for which the principal is ultimately responsible. Please don't plan or promise retention if we haven't thoroughly discussed it by the end of January. Retention is an extremely rare situation, and there is little or no research that seems to support it. If you are considering it, or the parent is requesting it, please discuss with me in January, the kinds of language you propose to put into the final statement of the report card.

17. Please use the provincial terms "rarely, sometimes, usually, consistently," and make sure that they match the marks "D, C, B," and "A" respectively.

18. Please file all reports in the individual O.S.R.s within two weeks of sending them home. Separate files at the front of your class section in the drawer do not meet our legal responsibilities and are difficult to sort through quickly, when a parent is burning angrily in the office.

And finally, thank you, not only for keeping your sense of humour as I outline my pet peeves, but more particularly for the work you do, over and over again. This is not the most pleasant part of our duties, but it is one that you generally do well.
The public expects us to be perfect role models. It makes a big difference in the future of our students, and leaves a legacy of planning for them, their parents, and our colleagues who will in the future, work with these children about whom we care so much.