Bye Bachelor Brad...

My wife made me do it, I swear. I liked my Monday nights just the way they were but then along came Bachelor Brad and Monday got flushed. It all started with a girl from Orem a few years ago who was a contestant on "The Bachelor" and because of her high standards and unwillingness to wear bikinis and make-out (at least, those are the reasons I thought up) she was let go the first night. From then on I had a love hate relationship with the show.

So fast forward to this season and Bachelor Brad who, despite my past history with the show, I actually liked. He asked tough questions. He was respectful. He got rid of the drama/crazy girls right after they started causing problems (except for Utah's own Michelle). And he chose a not-crazy girl at the end (we all remember Vienna, like, yeah, what was that all about).

Now I know that you're thinking that I know entirely too much about this... What, you don't think this show is the epitome of romance? One guy dating 30 women at one time who, despite meeting him for the first time on the show, all love him and fling their future into his hands leaving him the responsibility to "eliminate" girls by taking them on incredibly realistic dates (like a skydiving in Australia or a safari in Africa or a private dinner on a private island reached only by helicopter) which allow him just the glimpse into these girls needed to decide which girl receives a ring purchased by producers of the show and all this amidst the drama of girls arguing over this one man, backbiting each other, and generally crying and moaning about how hard it is to share their man with 30 other women (because, of course, they have no idea that the show entiles mass dating)...you don't think that's romance? Nah, neither do I.

Knock knock jokes and instant messaging...

Remember the old days when instant messaging was oh-so-cool, weirdly romantic, completely time-absorbant, and increasingly illegible (plz stop u make me lol, rofl and now i will brb). Well I'm sitting here this evening instant messaging my wife knock knock jokes (knock knock--who's there--Brittany Spears--Brittany Spears who?--knock knock--who's there--Oops, I did it again) and I can't help but think: life is good! I love and like my wife, I adore my son, and I receive real satisfaction from my job.

I'm not bragging--your life is good too. I've noticed that even my pains, heartaches, and tragedies only serve to make the healing, loving, and celebrating all the sweeter.

Today was just one of those days that give my life substance. It wasn't really exciting or momentous--no records shattered or grand cosmos shifts. But it was good. Classes went well, my wife got cuter (she does that quite often), my son will now slobber on my cheek when I ask for a kiss... It's not always this way, but you know what, most of the time it is. Hard times come and hard times go but I can thank my God that good times seem to always seep through the cracks and cover my life.

So if I'm ever sitting on a bench waiting for a bus and someone sits down next to me and begins to talk, I might just say, "My life is like vanilla ice-cream: simple, consistent, even predictable, but oh-so-delicious."

The Man Blog: just like Brett Favre and Michael Jordan...

...that's right--you think it's gone and then it's back, and then it leaves again (no seriously, for reals this time guys) and then it's back. And with a new jersey (layout).

Well, because I know there are tens of people out there who are wondering just what happened to the Man Blogger, I've decided to come out of my retirement (imposed upon me by the birth of a son who eats, poops, and giggles, and still manages to take up my whole life) and re-enter the wide world of blogging.

This post's topic? Waiting for Superman. Watched it. Loved it. Why? Because unlike other "documentaries" I've seen, this one seemed, though the opportunities are most certainly there, to avoid negative finger-pointing and rabble-rousing. I felt a genuine representation of some of the current issues related to our national education system. And, working for that system and now working alongside that system, I agree with most, if not all, of the theses proposed in the movie:

• American schools aren't what they once were or should now be (given the resources available).
• The current problems are not resultant primarily from bad teachers nor bad parents. On the whole, parents care and teachers try.
• The educational "system" has devolved into a behemoth bureaucratic body that stamps out many good teachers' and good parents' attempts to rescue students.
• A possible solution may lie in a grassroots effort from teachers willing to break away from "traditional" education (and maybe even from unions), band together, and try something new.

All too often rants about America's educational inferiority degrade into debasing teachers and attacking schools. My wife is a teacher. I am a teacher. And I know more teachers that care than I do teachers that don't. Though there are certainly teachers that should not be in the system, this is not the primary problem. I think the film's commentary on the weight and antiquity of the current system (which hasn't changed since the 60's) lends a truer perspective to the real problems: bureaucracy, lax expectations (for parents, teachers, and students), and failed attempts at forced accountability.

The solution? I quote the credits sequence of the move, "We know what works: quality teachers, more classroom time, world class standards, high expectations, real accountability."

If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. If you have seen it, comment! I welcome thoughts, opinions (especially those that differ from mine), and ideas.

I love being a teacher. I consider it an honor to work with the students I do. I respect them for facing bravely each day a world that tells them they can't because (dot dot dot). They can. We can help.