Saturday, March 17, 2007

Thanks Dennis!


Last summer, one could not access blogs in China and posting was time consuming and difficult. My friend, Dennis Cope (above), offered to post Gmail entries for me. Things have been loosening up in China-- these days one can read most blogs, but posting still takes a long time. Dennis has been helping out with site management, which I very much appreciate. Dennis is also a blogger. His address is www.copesofjc.blogspot.com
A naturalized US citizen, Dennis was educated in England. The final report from his "secondary modern school" notes that he was a prefect. It begins, "Cope is a reliable boy..." It's true. He knows all my passwords, has copies of our housekeys and wills, and is the head cashier at the Cherokee Church thrift store.

Dennis often speaks to ETSU classes about education. I especially enjoy having him address classes on educational assessment. Dennis holds several patents to equipment he invented during his long career as an engineer. Today's jets and computers utilize components he designed. He enterred engineering via the trade school and technology route, for he failed a high stakes British exam, the eleven plus. Some companies would not hire him because he lacked university training.

Computer technology is something I use, but learning this has not come easily. Dennis is one of the people I go to for help. That's what he does in retirement-- he helps technological idiots like me learn to use computers, software and peripherals.


This piece will be embarrassing to Dennis. He is a modest person, undesirous of attention. But his story is important. It bespeaks the limitations of educational testing and the resilience of a person who determines not to be ruined by a single exam. Tests and measurements sometimes eliminate people of extraordinary talent. And while Dennis' experience was in another country, the US education system is not immune to such errors. Let's hope we do better.

And thanks again, Dennis, for posting to this blog!

4 comments:

Ruth W. said...

Well done Roz, I am so glad you posted this, you say it so much better than I could ever do it. He is a wonderful person and has helped so many people (including me) with getting on with their life. I just wished I had the ability to express that in writing.

Dennis and Marie said...

Hi Roz,
Thanks for the "write Up" I have enjoyed helping with your blog and will do so again when you get another call to China. I am not sure they can manage over there without you!
Love,
Dennis

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