Blog Archives

Culture focus: St. Patrick’s Day

Posted on 2012/03/14
by

shamrockSaturday, March 17, is St. Patrick’s Day.  You may have heard of it, but perhaps you’re wondering what sort of holiday it is.  Let’s take a quick look at this informal holiday, which has come to be viewed largely as a day of Irish national pride.

St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration commemorating Saint Patrick, the patron of Ireland.  It started as a feast day, but then in the 1600s it officially became a Catholic “holy day” (from which we get the English word “holiday”) of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland.  Patrick was a fourth century slave from Britain who was brought to Ireland.  He eventually escaped and returned to his family, but came back later to Ireland and was involved in Christianizing the Irish people.  According to legend, he drove the snakes from Ireland, but this is rather unlikely, since the Ireland’s climate is not hospitable to snakes in the first place.  This legend could be interpreted symbolically, however:  evil (represented by the snakes) was driven from Ireland through St. Patrick’s evangelism.  Legend also states that he used a shamrock (three-leaved clover) to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity.  It is for these reasons that Saint Patrick has been closely associated with Ireland and the Irish people.

Many Irish people immigrated to the United States, especially in the 1800s and early 1900s.  These immigrants brought with them their Irish pride, and St. Patrick’s Day evolved from a religious celebration to a day of national pride, making Irish-American largely responsible for creating our modern St. Patrick’s Day celebration.  Today, there are several ideas that people associate with St. Patrick’s Day:

Wearing of the green – Not only are shamrocks green, but Ireland is known as the “Emerald Isle,” so it is not surprising that the color green should be prominently displayed or worn on St. Patrick’s Day.  Although the phrase “wearing of the green” refers specifically to wearing a shamrock on one’s lapel, by extension, people wear some sort of green item.

leprechaunLeprechauns – These mythical little creatures are said to guard the pot of gold that is supposed to be at the end of the rainbow.  If you can catch a leprechaun, you can make him take you to his secret stash of treasure.  But watch out – he will try to trick you and sneak away without giving you the gold!

Parades – People love a parade, and St. Patrick’s Day is no different.  Cities with a large Irish population, such as Boston and Chicago, are well known for their St. Patrick’s Day parades.  It seems that politicians especially love these parades, as it gives them exposure to potential voters and free publicity 🙂 .

Drinking – For whatever reason, drinking is a stereotype associated with Irish people, and many people like to imbibe in Irish beer.  In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, some bars will offer beer that has been dyed green.  Fortunately, the color does not affect the flavor.

Green Chicago RiverGreening of the Chicago River – Since 1962, there has been a tradition of dyeing the Chicago River green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.  Chicago has a notable Irish population; indeed, there have been no fewer than 12 Irish mayors in the city’s history.  The idea for coloring the river green came from a certain dye that plumbers used to detect if any waste materials from the sewer system were leaking into the river.  The precise formula used for the dye is “top secret.”  Some people were concerned that it might be harmful to the environment, but water samples with the dye were sent to an environmental engineer as well as a professor at Johns Hopkins University, both of whom confirmed that the dye was safe to use.

Google

Comments Off on Culture focus: St. Patrick’s Day

Education Focus: Musicals

Posted on 2012/03/12
by

curtain call

For today’s education focus, I want to take a brief look at musicals.  A musical is like a stage play, only the acting is interrupted from time to time with singing – either by an individual (a solo), by a pair (a duet), or sometimes by three people (a trio) or several (a chorus).  So, a musical will have not only a cast (the group of actors/actresses performing the musical), but a pit band or pit orchestra as well.

A musical is a common extracurricular high school activity.  Although it represents a big commitment for the students who participate – rehearsals are usually scheduled for every day after school, or in the evening – there are benefits as well.  Musicals give students a chance to try their hand at performing arts – specifically, at acting and/or singing.  Additionally, most musicals also have choreographed scenes, giving at least some of the performers the opportunity to dance.  Even if a student is not interested in being on stage, there are other opportunities for participation as well:  a student may participate in the pit band, playing his instrument and thus helping to provide the musical accompaniment; a student who is good with his hands may choose to help design and/or build the set for the musical; some students may prefer to work with costuming and stage makeup, while others may prefer to work with the technical aspects of production, such as lighting or sound.

A musical has various acting “parts,” or roles, like a play.  “Tryouts,” or auditions, are held to fill the cast by determining which students are suited for which roles.  Likewise, there may be auditions for the pit band, or the band director may simply tap the top chairs in the band to be in the pit band.  Other participants, such as those involved in production,  set construction, or costuming, don’t have tryouts, as there is usually enough work to go around for any and all who want to contribute their labors behind the scenes.

After the cast has been selected, the actors and actresses must memorize their lines, dancers work on choreographing their scenes, those in the costume department start whatever sewing needs to be done, and the set is designed and constructed.  When the performers have learned their lines, everything is ready to come together for rehearsal.  As I mentioned earlier, rehearsals are held nearly every day after school or in the evening, so the cast, pit band, and production crew get plenty of opportunity to work with each other and make adjustments as necessary.  These rehearsals are not in costume and tend to be less formal, but as the date of the actual performance draws near, a “dress rehearsal” or two will be scheduled.  A dress rehearsal is formal and conducted in full costume and makeup, to make things as close to the actual performance as possible.  This dress rehearsal gives the actors the chance to get used to performing in costume and makeup, take care of any last-minute costume changes, etc.  Pictures may also be taken during a dress rehearsal, so as to have the greatest freedom in getting pictures without having to worry about disrupting an audience.

A musical generally has a number of performances, spread out over several nights; for example, performances might be Friday and Saturday nights for two or three weekends.  The first performance is called “opening night,” while the last performance is “closing night.”  At the end of the final performance, there is usually a “curtain call,” where all the performers and supporting crew (pit band, production crew, etc.) are recognized, typically bowing to the audience and receiving a token of appreciation, such as a bouquet of flowers, from their admirers (usually Mom and Dad!).  Then the end of the musical is celebrated with a cast party, where those involved are rewarded for their hard work.

Google

Comments Off on Education Focus: Musicals

Culture Focus: Elections – The Primary Process

Posted on 2012/03/07
by

For this week’s culture focus, I thought I’d give a very brief introduction to the American primary process. The United States is in the middle of its primary elections, a process whereby eligible American citizens choose whom they want to see on the ballot for the Presidential election held later in November. Each state holds either a primary or a caucus to determine which candidates will receive delegates to the national conventions that will be held later in the year. The Democratic Party and the Republic party each have separate primaries/caucuses, generally held on the same day. Democratic delegates will attend the Democratic National Convention from August 25 – 28 in Denver, Colorado. The Republican delegates will attend the Republican National Convention from September 1 – 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Each presidential candidate must receive a certain number of delegates to win his party’s nomination for the presidency: the Republican candidate needs 1191 delegates for the nomination. The Democratic situation is a bit more complicated, because of disputes over the delegates from Michigan and Florida – without the delegates from these two states, the Democratic candidate needs 2024.5 delegates for the nomination; with these two states, the number of delegates needed is 2206.5. As things stand right now (2/19), Clinton and Obama are rather close, so people are very interested in following the primary process. On the Republican side, McCain has a comfortable lead over Huckabee, so McCain will most likely be the Republican candidate.

In addition to choosing and nominating the party’s choice for Presidential candidate, it is at the conventions that each candidate will name his selection for Vice President, also known as his “running mate.” There is a great deal of speculation over who will be the running mate on both the Republican and Democratic tickets, but both sides will take into account what areas are weak politically, and nominate a running mate to compensate for his weaknesses. For example, if a candidate is concerned about his ability to woo Southern voters, he would probably strongly consider choosing a Southern politician as his running mate. (This was one of the main reasons why John Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson as his running mate in 1960, even though Kennedy couldn’t stand the fellow. Johnson was from Texas, and Kennedy needed to win in the South in order to win the election.)

Google

Leave a Reply ?

Culture Focus: Super Tuesday

Posted on 2012/03/07
by

Yesterday was “Super Tuesday” in the United States.  This is the name given to the Tuesday in March (sometimes in February) when the most states have their primaries to select delegates for the national conventions.  (Recall, it is at these national conventions where each party officially nominates its candidate for the presidential election in November.)  Why is it called “Super” Tuesday?

“Super Tuesday” gets its name from the important role it plays in presidential election politics.  Since it is the day when the most states have their primaries, it means that there is the potential to win more delegates on this day than any other single primary / caucus day.  This year, in 2012, there are a total of 410 delegates up for grabs for Republican candidates.  These 410 delegates come from primaries in the following states:  Georgia (76), Idaho (32), Massachusetts (41), North Dakota (28), Ohio (66), Oklahoma (43), Tennessee (58), Vermont (17), and Virginia (49), along with delegates from a two-week caucus in Alaska from March 6 – 24.  Since the primaries that are held on Super Tuesday are spread throughout the nation (instead being concentrated in a particular region), this means that Super Tuesday can, in a sense, be regarded as a kind of test for the presidential candidates – if a candidate does well on Super Tuesday, he will probably do well in a national election, and it makes him a more attractive candidate for the nomination. Many times, the candidate that wins most of the delegates from Super Tuesday will go on to get his party’s nomination.

Google

Leave a Reply ?

Education Focus: ACT

Posted on 2012/03/05
by

In this Educational Focus, let’s take a look at the other college aptitude test that American juniors and seniors typically take as part of the college admissions process: the ACT.

First given in 1959, the ACT is not as well known as the SAT, even though it is accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. As a general rule, colleges and universities on the East and West Coasts tend to prefer the SAT, whereas the ACT is the test of choice for students planning on attending schools in the Midwest and South.

Like the SAT, the ACT is administered on a Saturday, and students who cannot take the test on Saturday for religious reasons can request at registration to take the test the following Sunday. The test is generally offered six times a year: September, October, December, February, April, and June.

The format and scoring of the ACT differs from the SAT. Students taking the ACT are tested in four areas: English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning, with an optional writing portion that was added in 2005. The scores for each subject range from 1 – 36. In addition to individual subject scores, students also receive a composite score, which is the average of all four tests. All the subject tests (with the exception of the writing test, of course) are multiple choice tests. Unlike the SAT, however, there is no penalty for wrong answers, so it is advantageous to guess if one does not know the answer.

English

The English section of the test is 45 minutes in length, and consists of 75 questions on usage, grammar, punctuation, and rhetorical skills.

Mathematics

The mathematics section of the test is 60 questions and 60 minutes in length. Topics covered include pre-algebra, elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, coordinate geometry, geometry, and elementary trigonometry. Calculators are permitted, but only if they are not on a list of prohibited models, or are modified according to the ACT’s calculator policy. The mathematics section is the only section in which there are five answer choices rather than four.

Reading

The reading section of the test is 35 minutes in length, and consists of 40 questions based on reading comprehension. Types of reading passages include prose fiction, social science, humanities, and natural science.

Science Reasoning

The science reasoning section of the test is also a 40-question, 35-minute test. Rather than testing specific scientific knowledge, students are asked to read passages of a more technical or scientific nature, and then answer questions based on these passages. The questions are designed to assess the student’s ability to interpret, analyze, and evaluate the information in the passages, as well as test the student’s ability to reason and solve problems.

Writing (Optional)

The optional writing section of the ACT mirrors that of the SAT. It is 30 minutes long, and students are to write an essay based on a given prompt. Two readers each evaluate the essay and assign it a score of 1 – 6 (6 being best). Essays that are blank, off-topic, not written in English, not written in no. 2 pencil, or illegible automatically receive a score of 0.

Although the ACT is an assessment for students planning to attend college, some states, such as Colorado and Illinois, require all high school students (whether or not they intend to go to college) to take the ACT as a way of assessing school performance.

Based on data from college-bound seniors who took the ACT in 2006, the median composite score was between 20 and 21. Students who scored 28 or better were in the 90th percentile (meaning that students with a score of 28 or more were in the upper 10% of all test-takers).

There is no official conversion chart between SAT scores and ACT scores; however, some colleges have established their own charts, based on scores of students who took both tests. For comparison, the following is a chart used by the University of California:

SAT (out of 1600)……..ACT Composite

1600…………………………..36
1560-1590…………………35
1520-1550…………………34
1480-1510…………………33
1440-1470…………………32
1400-1430…………………31
1360-1390…………………30
1320-1350…………………29
1280-1310…………………28
1240-1270…………………27
1200-1230…………………26
1160-1190…………………25
1120-1150…………………24
1080-1110…………………23
1040-1070…………………22
1000-1030…………………21
960-990…………………….20
920-950…………………….19
880-910…………………….18
840-870…………………….17
800-830…………………….16
760-790…………………….15
720-750…………………….14
680-710…………………….13
640-670…………………….12
600-630…………………….11

Google

Leave a Reply ?

Writing Assignment: The Subway (Solution)

Posted on 2012/03/03
by

Riding the crowded subway

 
1.    What are these people doing?
They are riding on the subway.

2.    Where might they be going?
They might be going to work or to school.

3.    How crowded is this subway train?
It is rather crowded.  There is standing room only – there are no seats left for someone to sit down.

4.    Are there more people standing, or more people sitting?
There are more people standing than there are sitting.

5.    What do people usually hold on to if they have to ride standing up?
If people have to ride standing up, they usually hold on to a strap, or a pole.

6.    Does a subway train usually have seats or benches?
A subway train usually has benches.

7.    What do people usually do if they are carrying baggage or packages?
If people have baggage or packages, they usually put them on the floor, or on one of the overhead racks.

8.    What do people often do when they ride on a subway train?
People riding on a subway train often read a book or newspaper, or listen to music.  Some people even sleep.

9.    What do you need to get on the subway train?
You need a ticket, token, or fare card to get on the subway train.

10.    Where can you buy a ticket?
You can buy a ticket at the ticket window, or at a ticket vending machine.  You can also get your fare card reloaded at these places too.

11.    What kind of gate do people usually pass through to get into the subway?
You have to pass through the turnstile to get into the subway.  You swipe your ticket or fare card, and the turnstile will let you into the subway.

12.    What do you call the place where you get on and get off the subway train?
You get on and off the subway train at the station.

13.    How can you tell where to get on and get off?
A subway map or guide can tell you where you need to get on and off.

14.    What do you do if you have to take more than one line to get to your destination?
If you have to take more than one line to get to your destination, you need to transfer to the other line.

15.    How can you tell if your stop is next?
You can look at the subway map or guide to see if your stop is next, or you can listen to the announcement.

16.    What kind of subway train has fewer stops than normal?
An express train has fewer stops than normal.

17.    What might you see on the walls of the subway train?
You might see advertisements on the walls of the subway trains.

18.    What kind of doors does a subway train usually have?
A subway train usually has sliding doors.  You have to be careful that your coat or bag doesn’t get caught in the doors as they close.

19.    What sort of safety equipment would you see in a subway?
You see fire extinguishers in a subway.

20.    What else might you see in a subway?
You might see vending machines, newspaper stands, and other little shops in a subway.

Paragraph:  The Subway

If you live in a city, a subway is a very convenient way to get around.  You don’t have to deal with traffic and parking, so you can usually get to your destination quicker than driving.  Many big cities have an extensive subway line, so you can get to almost any place in the city quickly, easily, and economically.

Paying the far is easy.  You can buy a fare card with a set amount, and swipe the card every time you go through the turnstile to ride the subway.  When the card gets low, you can reload the card with money and continue using it.  Some places even have fare cards with different decorations, so you can collect the various designs.

A subway map or guide is a very handy item to have, especially if you are not familiar with the system.  The map will tell you where the different lines will take you, so you can plan out your trip and determine which lines you need to take, which station you need to get on at, which station you need to transfer lines, and which station to get off at.  What I like to do is highlight the stations I need to get off at, so I can keep track of where I’m going and not get lost.

Because the subway is so convenient, many people ride the subway.  Sometimes it is very crowded, especially during the morning rush and the afternoon rush.  If you ride the subway during the rush times, you will probably have to stand.  Sometimes there are so many people standing, it looks like wall-to-wall people!  In some places there are so many people waiting to get on the subway that there are “pushers” to help get as many people on the subway car as possible, although I must admit I have never seen “pushers.”

Sometimes if there are elderly people, pregnant women, or someone traveling with very small children, other people will stand up and offer their seat to one of these others, so they don’t have to stand up.  That is a nice thing to do, don’t you think?

Google

Leave a Reply ?

Writing Assignment: The Subway

Posted on 2012/03/02
by

Crowded subway ride

 

Vocabulary

track
station
line
transfer
express
stop
ticket
ticket window
card
to reload (a card)
to swipe (a card)
token
turnstile
strap
pole
standing room only
sliding door
overhead rack
bench
seat
map
crowded
advertisements
fire extinguisher
vending machine
announcement
terminus
direction
exit
entrance
read a book / newspaper
listen to music

 

  1. What are these people doing?
  2. Where might they be going?
  3. How crowded is this subway train?
  4. Are there more people standing, or more people sitting?
  5. What do people usually hold on to if they have to ride standing up?
  6. Does a subway train usually have seats or benches?
  7. What do people usually do if they are carrying baggage or packages?
  8. What do people often do when they ride on a subway train?
  9. What do you need to get on the subway train?
  10. Where can you buy a ticket?
  11. What kind of gate do people usually pass through to get into the subway?
  12. What do you call the place where you get on and get off the subway train?
  13. How can you tell where to get on and get off?
  14. What do you do if you have to take more than one line to get to your destination?
  15. How can you tell if your stop is next?
  16. What kind of subway train has fewer stops than normal?
  17. What might you see on the walls of the subway train?
  18. What kind of doors does a subway train usually have?
  19. What sort of safety equipment would you see in a subway?
  20. What else might you see in a subway?

 

Paragraph:  The Subway

Have you ever ridden on a subway or a train?  Do you take one every day to go to work or school?  What kind of people do you usually see on the subway train?  Write a brief paragraph about your experience riding on a subway.

 

Google

Leave a Reply ?

Culture Focus: Leap Day

Posted on 2012/02/29
by

Today is Leap Day.  Normally, February has only 28 days, but 2012 is a leap year – instead of having 365 days this year, we have an extra (intercalary) day, called a leap day, which is inserted into the regular calendar on February 29.

Have you ever wondered why we have an extra day approximately once every four years?

Pope Gregory XIIIThe modern solar calendar is called the Gregorian calendar, after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced this calendar.  The Gregorian calendar is actually a modification of the Julian calendar, which was named after the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar.  The Julian calendar was a solar calendar that had 365 days per year and twelve months like our current calendar, with an extra day being added every fourth year.  This extra day was necessary, because in reality it takes a little longer than 365 days for the earth to make one complete orbit around the sun.  A solar year is actually 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, or not quite 365 and 1/4 days.  Julius Caesar therefore included an extra day every four years to keep the calendar on track with the sun.

The problem, however, was that the solar year is slightly less than 365 and 1/4 days, so adding a leap day every four years was really an overcorrection.  This error resulted in a gain of one day for every 128 years.  So by the time of Pope Gregory XIII in the 16th century, the Julian calendar was 13 days out of sync with the solar year.   After consulting with mathematicians and astronomers, Gregory solved the problem by reforming the Julian calendar.  Instead of adding a leap day every four years, Gregory’s reform said that century years (years ending in 00) are not to be considered leap years, unless they are also divisible by 400.  Thus 1700, 1800, and 1900 were NOT leap years (since they have a remainder when divided by 400), but the year 2000 WAS a leap year (it is divisible not only by 4 like a regular leap year, but it is a century year that is also divisible by 400).  Gregory’s reform improved the accuracy of the Julian caLeap Year Traditionlendar, making the Gregorian calendar so accurate that it would take 3,323 years to gain one day.

One tradition associated with Leap Year has to do with marriage.  Normally in a relationship it is the man who may propose marriage, but in Leap Year, a woman doesn’t have to wait for a man – she may propose marriage herself.

Google

Leave a Reply ?

Education Focus: SAT

Posted on 2012/02/27
by

For this week’s educational focus, I want to take a look at two tests that are important for American high school juniors and seniors: the SAT and the ACT. Both of these tests are college aptitude tests; that is, performance on one or both of these tests is said to give an indication how well the student can perform academically at the college or university level. As such, these tests are frequency used in the college admissions process, and students spend a lot of time (and sometimes, money) to prepare themselves for the test in order to get a good score. This week, we’ll focus specifically on the SAT.

The SAT is the older, and more well-known, of the two tests. The exam has undergone several changes since it was first administered in 1901, the most recent change occurring in 2005. Currently, the SAT consists of three parts, each part having a score ranging from 200 – 800 points: 1) Critical Reading, 2) Mathematics, and 3) Writing. Thus, a score of 2400 points represents a perfect score on the SAT. There are 10 sub-sections to the test, including an experimental 25-minute section that is not scored, but used for the purpose of planning new tests. The timed portions of the entire test make the test 3 hours and 45 minutes long, so the tests are given on Saturdays according to the schedule set by the Educational Testing Service (the company that administers the exam). Students who cannot take the test on Saturdays for religious reasons (for example, Jewish students) can apply to take a special make-up test.

Critical Reading

The Critical Reading section of the test (formerly, the Verbal section on older tests), consists of three scored sections: two 25-minute sections, and one 20-minute section. In this section, questions may be sentence completion questions, which serve to test the student’s vocabulary, and reading comprehension questions based on long or short reading passages.

Mathematics

The Mathematics section also consists of three scored sections: two 25-minute sections, and one 20-minute section. One of the longer sections has 20 questions, all multiple choice; the other 25-minute section has 8 multiple choice questions and 10 “grid-in” questions (questions where the student must calculate an answer and fill in the computer-readable blank). The final, shorter section has 16 multiple choice questions. The contents of the Mathematics sections are: number and operations; algebra and functions; geometry; statistics, probability, and data analysis.

Writing

The Writing section consists of a 35-minute multiple choice section and a 25-minute essay section. The multiple choice section tests the student’s ability to improve sentences and paragraphs, as well as identify errors (such as diction, grammar, sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, proper word usage, and wordiness). In the essay section, the student is expected to write an essay that develops a point of a view on an issue, and then use reasoning and evidence (based on personal experience, reading, or observation) to support his ideas. In his essay, the student should be able to organize and express ideas clearly, develop and support his main idea, as well as use appropriate word choice and sentence structure.

Scoring

As mentioned previously, scores on each section of the SAT range from 200 – 800 points. One thing that is unique about the SAT’s multiple choice questions is that responses are scored to minimize any benefit from random guessing. Multiple choice questions have five possible answers, and correct answers are awarded 1 point, whereas incorrect answers are penalized with a –1/4 point. Thus, if a student has absolutely no idea what the correct answer to a question is, he is advised to skip the question and leave it blank. On the other hand, if a student can eliminate even one of the possible answer choices, he improves his chances enough to overcome the negative 1/4 point penalty.

The negative point penalty applies only to multiple choice questions. Grid-in questions on the Mathematics section are not penalized for incorrect answers, and students are encouraged to make an educated guess if they do not know the answer.

The essay portion of the Writing section is scored on a scale of 1 – 6 (1: poor, 6: best), based on the overall quality of the essay. Two readers each give a score to the essay, so the essay’s total score can range from 2 – 12 points. Essays that are not written on the essay assignment, are blank, not written in English, not written with a Number 2 pencil, or are illegible, are automatically given a score of 0.

Originally, the test was scaled to make a score of 500 the mean on each section, with a standard deviation of 100. However, SAT scores have been steadily declining since the 1960’s: at its peak in 1963, the average SAT score was 980 (out of 1600); by the 1990’s, the average Verbal score was 428, and the average Math score was 478 – both well below the intended mean of 500 points. Consequently, in 1995 the test was “recentered” to bring the average score on each section back up to 500. Critics have pointed out that manipulating the scores like this masks the fact that compared to previous generations, today’s students are scoring poorly, and thus are not as well-prepared for college as their parents were.

Next week, we’ll take a look at the alternative to the SAT: the ACT.

Google

Leave a Reply ?

Culture Focus: American Presidents

Posted on 2012/02/22
by

In the U.S., the third Monday in February is a national holiday called “Presidents’ Day.” This year it was on February 20.  It is a day set aside to honor those men who have served our country in the highest position of leadership. Originally, February was noted for having the birthdays of two of our most well-known Presidents: Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (February 22). Several years ago, it was decided that rather than taking two separate days off that were relatively close together, it was better to combine them into one holiday that could honor all the Presidents. Thus, Presidents’ Day was born. It is a holiday where schoolkids, banks, and government workers (including the post office) get a day off, but most everyone else works.

We like to say that any child can grow up to be President, but in reality there are some eligibility requirements that a potential candidate must meet. According to the U.S. Constitution, a President must be at least 35 years old, a natural born citizen, and have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.

A President can be elected to office at most twice. Franklin D. Roosevelt served four terms, but after his presidency, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, instituting presidential term limits.

If the President becomes sick or otherwise unable to fulfill his duties, the Vice President is authorized to take his place until he recovers. This is how Gerald Ford became President in 1974, making him the only man to serve as President without being elected either to that office or the office of Vice President. Ford was appointed Vice President in 1973 by President Nixon when Nixon’s original Vice President, Spiro Agnew, resigned. Nearly a year later, Nixon himself resigned, and Ford became President.

Other Presidential trivia:

  • William Henry Harrison (9th President) served the shortest presidency. He gave a lengthy inaugural speech (105 minutes) outdoors in March without wearing a hat or overcoat. Consequently, he developed pneumonia and died about 32 days after being elected.
  • John Tyler (10th President) was the president with the most children – 15!
  • James Buchanan (15th President) was the only President that never married.
  • Grover Cleveland (22nd President) was the only President to be married while in the White House. He was also the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms (22nd President and 24th President).
  • Teddy Roosevelt (26th President) is the one from whom we get the name of the child’s toy “teddy bear.” He was also the first President to call the Presidential residence the “White House” – before that, it had been called the Executive Mansion, or the President’s House.
  • William Taft (27th President) was the first President to own a car.
  • Harry S Truman (33rd President) used to get up at 5 a.m. to practice the piano for two hours.
  • John F. Kennedy (35th President) was the first Roman Catholic to be elected President. He was also the youngest elected President.
  • Ronald Reagan (40th President) was the oldest elected President.

Google

Leave a Reply ?