Fruit for Thought: the Intersection of Education, Culture, and Performance

Leave it to the competitive nature of the human spirit to invoke a challenge with the simple question: “What are you doing for Earth Day?” My students were excited and extra conscious about their actions – light, water, energy consumption – especially my seventh and eighth graders. I think the Brookfield Zoo really opened their eyes to the part they play in excessive water usage. Their experimented was to calculate how much water they waste (4 gallons) if they leave it running while brushing their teeth (the recommended 2 minutes). Of course, I did my part giving them tech tips to staying green.  Tip #1: First and foremost, Get a Mac. Not just any Mac, but the new 17” MacBook Pro. It is “ The Greenest MacBook Pro Ever .” And I am not just saying that because I work for…I mean WITH Apple Computers. Tip #2: After getting your MacBook Pro, the only site that will double your energy conservation efforts is Blackle.com . I recommend you set it as your homepage for whenever you open up a ne...

Yesterday, I went on a field trip to Brookfield Zoo with my seventh and eighth grade students. I already know what you are thinking and no, we made it through without incident. That does not mean the gravity of the situation ( 4/11/09 ) did not cross their minds. The proverbial “Elephant in the Room” (pun intended) was addressed once we made it to the polar bear habitat. But something was a little off. While the other animals found shelter in their habitat from the three straight days of April Showers, the polar bear was prowling back and forth (like in the picture) at the edge of his cliff where the gully separated him/her from us. As if he/she too knew what had transpired 10 days ago. When I think more about it, this issue is four-dimensional. [1st Dimension] My students were comparing Lincoln Park Zoo to Brookfield Zoo saying Lincoln Park is better and when they asked me I said, “I am not really a Lincoln Park Zoo person with all those well groomed, well feed and spoiled Lincoln Par...

In light of the events of last week, I thought it was only fitting that on 4/20 I spark the debate. Let’s start with a question from President Obama’s “Open for Questions” forum held on Thursday, March 26. With over 1 out of 30 Americans controlled by the penal system, why not legalize, control, and tax marijuana to change the failed war on drugs into a money making, money saving boost to the economy? Do we really need that many victimless criminals? - Ryan Palmer, Dallas, TX Mr. Obama’s response: There was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and job creation. I don’t know what this says about the online audience…the answer is “no I don’t think that is a good strategy to grow our economy.”  His response was met with cheers and applause, which really bothers me. Though President Obama, his administration and supporters believe that might be a “change” America just is not ready for, there needs to be ...

Today was the start of MLB’s 162-game season. Yippie. Can you hear the excitement in my voice? I follow the MLB about as closely as I follow the USEF (United States Equestrian Federation). This season will pale in comparison to last year for two reasons: 1) The US dominated 日米野球 (Nichi-Bei Yakyu – Major League Baseball Japan All-Stars Series ) was something like International World Series until it ended its every even year (since ’86) game after a ‘06 US win (outscoring Japan in five games 33-17). Taking its place is what I consider the real World Series. Started in Anahiem, California in ’06 and played every three years in the month of March, the WBC should be considered the real March Madness. I was not surprised when, for the second year in a row: the United States failed to reach the finals and Team Japan won its second WBC title – this time minus the home-field, umpire controversy . 2) I loved being one of the Bad Guys at my school because as you know, Good Guys Wear Black . W...

As a teacher, it is our duty and responsibility to protect children - that are not our own as if they were - from the forces outside our school. But, these past few weeks, we all needed a little extra protection. March is supposed to be a happy month. The snow has melted (at least from last weekend’s storm), the weather is breaking and the sounds of Spring are in the air: birds chirping, grass and flowers growing, rain falling and…bullets flying. Sunday, March 8 , Pastor Fred Winters of First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois is shot and killed at the 8 a.m. service by a gunman with a .45-caliber gun. Three days later, a gunman rattles two towns ( Samson and Geneva in Alabama ) when he kills 10 and – on the same day, in a separate incident across the Atlantic – a student walks into his former school in Winnenden, Germany shooting at pupils and teachers killing 15. And the day before yesterday in Carthage, North Carolina a man – with no affiliations to Pinelake Health and Rehabili...

And we begin again. Let me just say, for the record, NCAA basketball is “Sweet”. And I am not saying that because my bracket is unbustable. It is not. Using the 1-2-4-7-10-12 point system I use with my eighth grade students (two points in the first round for a correct upset pick), the 1-2-3-4-5-10 point system used with the pool I joined and the 10-20-40-80-160-320 ESPN point system , I have 46, 46 and 460 points respectively thus far. Putting me just behind President Obama (470) in 2,167,290th place . Which means I am picking teams at about a 50% rate well behind the 100% rate of P. Sergi, D. Jones, V. Gordon and J. Jamroz in 1st place with 620 points. It is what it is. I do not put too much energy nor am I worried about my bracket because I do it for fun. Especially when I purposely pick and hope for 1st round upsets. I had Ohio State facing off against Michigan State in the Final Four because I wanted the see a rematch of the Big Ten Semifinal game . And, though I didn’t pick them,...

What do these three things have in common? Take your time to think, I’ll wait… Give up? They have all been victims of identity theft. Growing exponentially every year, identity theft is a crime that affects more than 15 million Americans a year. Surprisingly, since ’03 Illinois has seen its state rank of ID Theft drop from 9th (2003) to 10th (2004 and 2005) to 12th (2006) . This lower stat does not mean that Illinois is safer from these crooks, it just means that victims of ID theft have turned into willing participates. Case and point: January 31, 2003 .  The culprit, US Cellular and the “victim” Comiskey Park: In an attempt to keep up with the Joneses, the Chicago White Sox joined the 50% of ballparks who are corporately owned. It has its perks. The money the corporation paid for the park will be reinvested into the park making it more enjoyable for the fans. The downside is, the ballpark loses its heritage and identity. September 21, 2005.   The culprit, Federated Department Stores ...