CPO - Barnyard Slush

[PoolDoc]

Nothing new -- when I took the CPO class for the first time, years ago (1990, I think) I scored a 92 or 94 on the exam. Well, I didn't think I'd missed any, so I looked at the test very carefully.

Lo and behold, I had missed one, but I was right on the other 2 or 3 questions: the key was wrong. The original CPO manual author -- a Dr Van Rossen -- was one of the proctors, so I pointed out the errors to him.

His response? "What difference does it make? You only had to get a 70 to pass?"

Several years later, when I was teaching the CPO class, I carefully went through all 150 or 180 CPO test questions (there were an 'A', 'B', 'C' tests), and found 15+ errors. I still have, somewhere, the letter I sent to the NSPF noting the errors and offering corrections.

Silly me! I thought they'd welcome the corrections. Boy, was I ever wrong!

Ben

PS. I should have caught on, when I discovered that "DOCTOR van Rossen", who went nowhere without his title, was an EdD in physical education, rather than a PhD in a technical field.

PPS. You have to remember that the NSPSI and the NSPF were funded by the chemical companies, and that the $1,000,0000,0000+ per year chem biz would drop below $400,000,000 per year if the methods and facts found here were taught to all dealers and operators. Effective, pertinent, and accurate dealer and commercial operator training would still seriously damage Biolab's bottom line.

[waste]

Ben, THANK YOU!!! for taking the time to respond to my post!

I think I can handle paying 'lip service' to someone who probably doesn't know as much as I do, just to get certified. As a concerned pool dude, I'd love to be able to get someone in the state legislature to listen to me and adjust the laws on acceptable pool chemistry (however, like you said, there is a $$$$ lobby working against me )

I'll do as I will and try to work up from the local health inspector to get the attention of those who can actually make the proper changes

[CarlD]

Good luck, Ted!

Despite the fact that B-B-B is getting more well-known via the Web, it's still, for the vast part of North America, sets us off as "weirdos". The levels of ignorance passed off as expertise is found by all of us wherever we are: in Maine, West Va, PA, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and even, (gasp!) New Jersey, just to name a few.

I had a dentist back in Virginia who had a sign on his wall that read something like: There is nothing the doctor can do that the patient can't undo.

Y'know--the light-bulb has to want to change.