SC's Comical High School Graduation Rates Exposed

In the "Might as Well Laugh" department, the following Letter to the Editor:

"I read The Post and Courier in the morning over breakfast. I always read the comic section first because there is usually more common sense and even wisdom there than anywhere else in the paper.

"Here’s what I found in the Nov. 16 “Grand Avenue” comic. A “teacher” who is grading his students’ papers comments that he will need “more coffee” to get them all done.

"A student, hearing this, suggests that he could just give everyone an “A” and be done with it. The teacher replies he could also just give everyone an “F” and be done with it. The student grasps the point of the lesson and brings the teacher a cup of coffee.

"After reading the comics, I went to the front page of The Post and Courier and was a little surprised to find another joke about schools. This joke goes like this.

"Last year the S.C. Department of Education (SCDE) lowered the minimum passing grade for high school graduation from 70 to 60. The punch line — the SCDE is now congratulating itself on the highest ever high-school graduation rate.

"Yeah, I don’t think it’s funny either. I only wish it was a joke, and I hope every parent in South Carolina who cares about the future of their kids is letting legislators and local school board members know just how desperately unfunny it is.

Terry W. Ryan
Captiva Row
Charleston