You're hired!

It's the end of C-track's school year, and I've been collecting job applications from 6th and 7th graders who want to work in the library next year (for their electives). It's a pretty thorough application, and my favorite reponses to read are the ones for the only two open ended questions. Here are some of the answers I've gotten.

To the question "Please list any special skills here":
- speak a little french
- studied water color drawing, only graphite drawings, primary, secondary colors
- using math and algera
- good on flying thing and on cars
- i like to have everything really organized
- drawing flowers
- taking orders
- writing and signing things
- sport
- speack spanish
- types of books, authors [i'm not sure what this skill is supposed to be]
- spelling, grammer
- smart, playing drums
- I know my numbers
- By lingual
- My writing is nice
- could carry books and put them on the shelf
and (this one is my favorite)
- I can sing the national anthem

To the question "Please writie a brief explanation of your reasons for wanting to work in the library. Be sure to include the reasons you think you would make a good member of the library staff":

- because I want to earn more grades
- I would make good staff because I'm good at a lot of stuff
- I know how to communicate
- because I live read books
- because i want to achieve my goals
- i know a lot of art
- I will like to clean the library
- I simply want something to work on that interest me
- because i am a person who likes to do fun stuff
- i'm good on ordering books in order
- I want to know how many authors
- because i feel like working there, the computers and things
- so my mom can be prood of me
- I want to work because I like to help people I do not care because I do not help people out for money [Huh?]
- great rememberence skills
- well, if you guys pick me, i'm going to try my best. I will demonstrated, too.
- I like to be around with book and i like to put stuff back in there place
- because I wanna be Doing. something to keep me buissy and to keep me out of troubal. Thanks for your time
- I have a feeling that its going to be fun

Who to hire? Who to hire?
There are more gems, but I'll save them for another day.

What's in a Name?

Today another one came across my desk. This name is less outrageously flamboyant than many of the others, to be sure, but it does point out a subtle issue in naming conventions that will result one of two things. 1 - We will, as a society, begin to accept bizarre, invented names and their spellings as commonplace, therefore never again being able to count on the ability to spell or make an educated guess at a person's origin, religion, heritage, etc. Or 2 - this child, and other children like her, will be forced to change her name if she wants to escape not only ridicule (in her younger days) but the assumption that she is uneducated (in her middle years). If #1 happens, #2 will not. Probably. My guess is that #2 will happen first, and has already happened to countless kids and professionals.

This child's name is Beronica. Like Veronica, but not. Because of the fact that many Spanish speakers pronounce v's as b's, her parents clearly did not hear or know the standard spelling of this name. Not that Beronica is such a bad name really, but it does probably indicate a lack of knowledge on her parents part, which she may or may not ever realize. I could be wrong. This could be intentional. Yet there are other names that lead me to believe that these are mistakes, not acts of creativity. Yonatan, is my next best example. Jonathan, but not. It is pronounced just like it is spelled, which is how someone with a heavy accent might pronounce Jonathan, after all. Y for J, hard T for TH. It makes perfect sense. I have nothing against the namers of these children, but I do wonder if Beronica could be a bank president if she keeps that name, that spelling. Maybe. Maybe by the time she's old enough, there will be enough Bictorias and Baleries that Beronica won't stand out. I do hope so.