Sccool? Mistakes Can Happen Anywhere

I found this gem just over the border into Vermont. You can’t make this stuff up. Big, bold letters right there on the pavement spelling out SCOOOL — with an extra “O” for good measure. Apparently, the painters decided that when it comes to education, more vowels mean more emphasis.

Now, I’m not one to nitpick spelling — I’ve made my fair share of typos. But there’s something especially ironic about a misspelled school zone. You’d think someone, somewhere along the line — the stenciler, the supervisor, the guy holding the traffic cone — might’ve noticed. Maybe they were just testing drivers’ reading comprehension. “If you can spot the error, you get an A!”

It does make me wonder: when you misspell something on the road, how do you fix it? Do you grab some black paint and “black-out” the mistake? Or do you shrug, laugh, and hope everyone drives by too fast to notice? Judging by this photo, I think we know which option this crew went with. Just cover the extra "O" with an "H". They probably figured Vermont winters would wear it off eventually.

I like to imagine the scene — one painter stepping back proudly while the other squints and says, “Hey, something looks off.” Then there’s a long pause, a collective sigh, and someone muttering, “Close enough.”

It’s a funny reminder that no matter how official or important a job seems, people are still people — and everyone has “those days.” Maybe the painters were running on too little coffee and too much overtime. Or maybe, just maybe, it was a creative statement on the state of modern education. And I can hear the logic of the kid who failed the spelling test. "Well, if the street painters don't have to worry about spelling, why should I?"

Either way, I got a good laugh out of it. And I bet the kids who walk past it every morning do, too. Scoool’s in session, folks — spelling optional.

Enjoyed this tale from the barnyard?

Don’t miss the next round of critter chaos — subscribe here or follow on Facebook.

🐑 If this story made you smile, please click one of the gray share buttons below instead of copy-paste—it helps folks find their way back here for more tales from the farm.🐓

©2010 Sandy Davis | American Way Farm