champion of schools ... or corporate stooge?

But first:

Since the greatness of a teacher is only measured by the distance traveled by his legacy, I sat down with my kids yesterday morning and, in memory of Onofre Bolosan and his unforgettable way of starting any class or personal interaction, said we were going to Push Positivity in our final week before break. What, I asked, was the good news? Some responses:

- I went fishing over the weekend and caught two fish.
- Shop With a Cop was really fun. (Sorry, that link is a one-year-old article but it was the only one I could find for Hawaii SWAC.)
- My parents bought me five new video games. (I really had to bite my tongue in order to keep from shrieking, "After that note I sent home on Friday?!" Trying to be positive and all.)
- My dad and I went to the beach. Just us, no brothers or sisters.

I think we'll do good news every Monday.

My good news: I am learning how to use my phone, yesterday I did cardio, abs AND Jazzercise (which was more cardio and more abs), and the Speech Festival hopefuls seem to have more talent and than last year's. Unfortunately there are fewer interested, so the "tryout" was more of a recital, but it's all good ... we're starting much earlier this year, so our kids should rock by April.

On deck: "fun" surface area lessons, Christmas party planning, art!

In the news: Obama has chosen a former pro baller who has never been a teacher as Sec of Ed. He serves (or has served on) a really impressive list of education-related boards. He is reform-minded, has a history of backing the teachers' unions, and supports merit-based pay for teachers. Can a person who has never been in our shoes truly "fix" NCLB? Here's hoping and praying. Then again, he's from Chicago. Whoops, that wasn't very positive!