Perfect 10.

It's a real shame that you suggest that kids might be better off choosing not to learn to do research and write their own papers. Copying lame stuff from your website is very irresponsible and a huge waste of time. Teachers read your website because we want to keep in touch with what kids like. We know when kids do not do their own work. I hate to dispel your obvious conclusion that all teachers fell off of the turnip truck yesterday. This "study less" link also confirms my assumption that you are marketing to teenage kids. I read an article in a skate magazine about how the perfect maneuver on a skateboard was like creating a work of art. Now I get it. After working as an art teacher I see what a wonderful influence skating has. It's motivating; it's a passion and a great sport for kids who aren't into the team sport groupie thing. One of my favorite art projects is to give out cardboard deck blanks and let kids design a deck. When finished, the students demand to take them home immediately because they are so connected to their own unique skateboard images. So then, why do you have to do something as dumb as putting out papers for kids to copy? Dub? Are you implying that skateboard kids aren't smart? I do not think so. This seems a little bit derogatory to me.

While you are reading this letter I might as well tell you that it's too bad that your magazine has got a plethora of highly inappropriate language. It would be nice to have a few skate mags in my classroom, but by the time that I went through and blacked out the swear words and other "stuff," there was not really much left of your mag. Nonetheless, I could probably still understand why I've been told that Thrasher is the best skate magazine after reading every word, despite your tendency to use the lowest denominator of language available.

Sherry Blouin

Leominster, MA