Good Morning and welcome to the No Tiger Woods Zone!

It doesn't take much to get me in the holiday spirit. I fight it, but when those decorations show up in September, I have to take a look.
Sure, I would rather wait until Thanksgiving, but it appears that's no longer allowed.
Last night was all about the holiday season.
The Upper Darby School District gets a bum rap (much of it deserved) mostly because of the large classes. The school year is more about testing and reaching those state scores than it is about learning and challenging. Of course, that's probably the case in most public schools these days (Thanks, GWB, that 'No Child Left Behind' is a stroke of genius).
The Upper Darby music program, though, is second to none. The teachers really seem to to care about the students. They get the children involved in music in first grade and keep it going through the years.
After taking in our fourth Winter Music Festival at Garrettford Elementary Wednesday night, I was more impressed with the music program than ever.
Several students were able to carry solos, be it violin, flute or whatever. The holiday songs crossed all lines from classical, to hanukkah, to the standards.
The stereotype of children banging on musical instruments to smiling parents is not the case in Upper Darby. These students really can play, from the front of the room to the back.
Teachers too often get a bad rap, but here's a big thumb's up to music teachers Martin Hyde and Linda Pennington.
It almost makes me wish I was back in grade school.
Well, except for the tests.

Good Morning and welcome to a nicer day!

Every school has them this time of year (most sometime this past week), it's time for Back-To-School Night (or Parent Night or Teachers Don't Have Enough Time to Really Say Anything Night).
They are all the same. Everybody gathers in a central location. The principal gives the same speech he/she gave last year. The teachers are introduced. The teachers leave the room in a parade. There is a call for involvement in a home/school group. There is a call for fundraising. There are calls for volunteers.
Meanwhile, parents are either zoning out, snoring or trying to figure out who made those ridiculous chairs and if the inventor really found them comfortable.
Then the parade of parents head for the door, which is really too small for everybody to fit through at once, although, as if the principal has some really bad halitosis, everybody tries to fit through.
There is a rush to your student's room. A quick look around, a lot of squeezing into too-small desks and the teacher talks. And talks. And talks.
Then, after more talking by the teacher about school work, the genious of homework, classroom rules and how 'this is the best class she/he ever had,' it's time to go home.
The parents stagger out with too much information crammed into their old brains.
What was said? I don't know.
What are the students doing this year? I don't know.
How's the teacher? I don't know.
What's your name? I don't know.
Is there a better way to do all this? I don't know.
Hey, at least there was no loud snoring this year.
So, since we all need a wake up call, here you go: