5 Qualities of an Effective Secondary Education Teacher

Are you thinking of working toward a master's degree in secondary education?

As a veteran teacher of twenty-plus years, I've counseled many young people and adults about the teaching profession, and I am always excited to speak about the career of molding and inspiring young minds.  I am always amused by people who are surprised and impressed that I can spend my days with teenagers and not go crazy.  It is a true calling, and it's a labor of love - both of content and people.

If you have aspirations of a teaching career, you should consider the qualities of secondary education teachers.  What makes a great teacher?  Do these qualities fit your personality and style?  If the following qualities match your identity, teaching may be a great career option.  And the field needs qualified and inspired people who seek to improve the world through education.  Consider the following qualities.  Do they sound like you?

1. Passionate - Students can read a teacher very easily, and they respond to people who are passionate and excited about what they are teaching.  For, if the teacher doesn't care deeply about the subject - about the class and the lesson - why should the kids?  No matter what you are teaching, you must be passionate - you must find something about the topic which excites and inspires you.  When you are a teacher of secondary education, you may end up teaching a course or a lesson or a topic you don't absolutely love.  However, it's important to avoid letting this lack of enthusiasm show to your students.  They follow your lead, and finding something engaging about the topic is essential to success.  Approaching a new and less-than-appealing course with an open mind, you may be surprised by the joy you find there.
2. Creative - See the world - and your subjects - the way a teacher or artist or inventor does, with a fresh eye.  Avoid simply teaching straight from the book, and, instead find a new angle when planning lessons.  Consider what might excite you, or how you may connect the subject to something you enjoy.  That could be a story or a movie or a game or a personal experience.  Read voraciously and look for connections to your lessons.  Switch up and adapt materials on a regular basis to keep students engaged.  A successful class is an engaged one.  The world - and your school - is filled with creative teachers willing to share ideas.  Look online, follow some blogs, attend conferences, and network with teachers to keep creative ideas flowing.
3. Flexible - Any programs for a master's degree in secondary education will emphasize the importance of flexibility in teaching.  Teaching is a fluid and always changing career - from year to year and day to day, your teaching schedule is never set in stone.  While it's important to plan ahead and be prepared each day, it's important to be comfortable with change.  No lesson plan should be so rigid it can't be adapted to meet the changing nature of the day - a fire alarm or an assembly or a teachable moment or a great digression can take precedence.  That's OK.  It's always about what is "best for kids."  If students seek extra help, be available for them.  Work the time for extra help or review sessions into your schedule.  If students come for extra help, embrace and appreciate that desire for learning.
4. Openness to Integration and Connection - Subjects become more meaningful to students when they understand how it connects to other subjects as well as the real world.  Be that connection - or connector - for them.  Justify and explain why what you are offering is valued.  Seek out opportunities to present real world examples and integrate other disciplines or subjects with your own.  The teaching profession is about integration and connection.  Share your thoughts and connect with others.  You don't need to invent every lesson yourself.  There is nothing wrong with borrowing from the best and making it your own for your classroom.
5. A Mentor and Educator, Not a Friend -  Any program for a master's degree in education will address the unique nature of the teacher-student relationship.  However, this quality isn't always fully understood by teachers until they are in the classroom.  In an era of Facebook, the personal connection between teacher and student can be blurred.  And students often see no difference between caring about them and being their friend.  And some teachers feel they can create better relationships by being friends with their students.  But they have friends - what they need is a teacher.  They are looking for educators and mentors.  Embrace this honor and do it well.  They look to you for leadership and guidance.

Teaching is a wonderful and inspired and necessary and meaningful career.  A master's degree in secondary education is a great investment, and one that is in demand.

The previous entry is a sponsored post.

University of Illinois - Top Party School for High Post-Grad Paychecks

Having attended the University of Illinois for a degree in secondary education, I have fond memories of both my social life and education.  That view has been endorsed by Payscale.com in an article which found that of the top twenty party schools on the Princeton Review, graduates of Illinois could expect the highest starting salary after graduation as well as the highest mid-career salary.  While Illinois is located in the heart of the Midwest and surrounded by a hundred miles of corn and soybean fields, it has a thriving social scene on the campus of nearly 40,000 students - and it's located in a metro are of Urbana-Champaign, twin cities of more than 100,000 residents.  Illinois' party reputation comes from its extensive greek system which is the largest fraternity-sorority system in the country.  The high pay expected by graduates results from one of the top engineering programs in the world, as well as highly ranked finance and business programs.  Illinois is definitely a great investment for the finance and the fun.

Can Liberals and Conservatives Ever Understand Each Other

"Can't we all just get along."

These words - a frantic plea really - from Rodney King after the LA riots have almost become a punch line in contemporary America.  And, of course, the recent never-ending campaign season did nothing to soothe the divide among the American people.

Writer Stephanie Pappas investigates the dubious nature of our political in-fighting, and she cites some great insight from the obscure field of "political psychology."  Basically, liberals and conservatives simply see the world differently and emphasize different values.

The most important avenue on the way to consensus and understanding is the ability to see the other point of view.  And psychologists advise asking questions and listening to answers as a way to move in that direction.  People establish their views based on six domains:

• Care versus harm
• Fairness versus cheating
• Liberty and oppression
• Loyalty and betrayal
• Authority versus subversion
• Sanctity versus degradation.

As a recovering Republican, I became a disgruntled Democrat.  Now, I'm a unencumbered independent, which is why I did not see the election of either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama as the Second Coming or the End of the World.  Perhaps, this recent election - which surprised many Democrats and shocked lots of Republicans - is a step toward trying to reach consensus.  Goodness knows if John Boehner can start talking compromise, we all can, too.

Mail-in/Drop Ballots are the Way to Go - Florida Fails Again

It didn't even take until election day for the clueless state of Florida to screw up the voting process again.  As voters attempted to navigate the early voting process, Florida was plagued by the sort of election incompetence that has become synonymous with their name since the fiasco of 2000.  A strong democratic republic deserves better than this, and the voting process should not be this hard.  While this sort of disaster has become great fodder for humorists like Dave Barry, electoral ineptness at the state government level is no joke.

The easy solution to this voting problem is a mail-in/drop off ballot like we've been using in Colorado for years.  The system is very well run, as I simply receive my ballot in the mail, vote at my convenience, and mail in or drop the ballot off at any one of numerous voting centers up till election day.  Years ago, I knew several elderly voters who would request absentee ballots because "they needed more time" and the burden of making it to the polls was prohibitive.  About that time I realized any citizen could request the ballot and take the necessary time to vote at their convenience - not the election bureau's.  Soon, it seemed Colorado election leaders listened, and we adopted a statewide system for getting ballots early and dropping them off as we could.

Get a clue, Florida.  Voting should not be difficult.  Of course, with a governor like Rick Scott, I guess we have to recall the words of PJ O'Rourke on the GOP and government - "Republicans run on a platform that government doesn't work - then they get elected and prove it."

Amazing Race Ignores Cheating and Stealing

Last night's episode of The Amazing Race was truly disappointing for what didn't happen - the two teams of the Twins and the Texans were not penalized for basically stealing the money of the Rock Star and the Lawyer.  Obviously, Race officials and videographers knew about the act because they made such a big deal out of the Twins "finding" the money and the Texans debating what to do with it.  And I fully expected a huge penalty when both teams checked in - but nothing.  Phil didn't even mention the "loss" of the money to the Rock Star/Lawyer team.

Several years ago, a team was heavily penalized for hiding some necessary Race materials from another team.  It was dishonest and interfered with the team's ability to complete their tasks.  The same is - or should have been - true for this theft.  I am still not liking the Twins at all, and this just further exemplifies what kind of team and people they are - manipulative, crass, dishonest, and classless.  Very disappointed in the producers of The Amazing Race for letting this crime slide.

How to Become a Straight A Student

School just seems to come easier to some students - and that leads many others to believe they just can't "do school."  Much of the earlier success can be pretty easily linked to family background and the sort of structure and social expectations that lead to success.  I must admit that my k-12 experience was pretty much a breeze, not due to any particular effort on my part.  That said, once I got to college, I had to learn how to learn all over again.  Graduate school brought even more challenges.  And, as a teacher, I realize that many students are not well-equipped or trained to be successful.

So what happened to study skills, huh?

Having become a stronger proponent of teaching reading, rather than just assigning it, I am giving more and more thought to how students learn.  In the course of my recent reading, I have been impressed by some study assistance from MIT professor Cal Newport, who has written several books about being a successful student.  One worth picking up - or recommending to students - is How to Become a Straight A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less.  Professor Newport - both as a student and a teacher - took the time to study and document how those "uber-students" do.  And he has crafted a really helpful - and readable - guide to academic success.

Among other things:

• Don't Read Everything - there is no way to successfully digest all that is asked of students these days, so they need skills in determining "what is important."
• Manage your time using lists and calendars - seems like common sense, but many kids need help in the field of time management.
• Choose where, when, and how long to study - those marathon sessions are beast and not helpful.
• Utilize resources

Peter Mayle Returns with French Culinary Fun

Hard to believe, but it was twenty-one years ago that British expatriate author Peter Mayle first entertained us with his whimsical tales of A Year in Provence.  At that time I was a newly transplanted young expat living and teaching English in Taiwan for Hess Language School, and I was first drawn into the wonderfully engaging world of really great travel writing.  For a short time, I imagined myself in the career and made several fated attempts at creating similarly engaging tales of living in Southeast Asia.  Needless to say, I was gloriously unsuccessful, and I decided years ago to leave the travel writing to the experts.  And Peter Mayle is one of the best.  Now, Mayle returns with new tales of the lifestyles of southern France in a The Marseille Caper, which is superbly reviewed this week in the Denver Post by travel and food writer Tucker Shaw.  Mayle (and Shaw actually) has a way of capturing French culture and viewing it through a culinary lens that makes us all want to chuck it all and escape to the French countryside - or at last go out for a great French and some excellent French wines.  Mayle's latest once again casts the French lifestyle against an expatriate - this time an American named Sam.  For a delightful adventure in southern France, consider returning with Mayle once again.

No Shortage of Jobs - Just Shortage of Workers

While the politicians and the press and the pundits and the critics continue to rail about the unemployment and how to return jobs to Americans, the data continues to show plenty of jobs with no qualified workers.  The real drought in American society is training and skilled labor.  The national unemployment rate would probably be closer to 6% if we had more machinists and welders and drillers and IT technicians - all the jobs we have steered young people away from during our mindless push toward bachelor degrees for all students.

There are as many as 3.6 million unfilled jobs across America - the highest number of vacancies in years.  To his credit, President Obama has made this more of a priority, calling for increased investment in community college and job training programs.  That is certainly more than Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have offered - as they simply believe that cuts in dividends and marginal rates will magically spur hiring.  It won't.  But at the same time, President Obama's plan has not seen the investment he touts - for his Race-to-the-Top has done nothing to promote Career and Technical Education.

Perhaps, if our leaders simply checked the news and asked employers, we might start putting people back to work.

Reasons to Vote for Mitt Romney

As I noted with the recent post on reasons to vote for President Obama, moderate voters look at the issue rationally and concede that neither candidate is going to destroy the country.  The average American is looking for candidates who can present a moderate platform and plan which ignores the extremes and the exaggerations of his party and governs for all Americans.  Certainly, there are reasons to criticize Mitt Romney - and much of it comes from comments he has made, notably the disparaging words about 47% of Americans.  However, to focus on that is to ignore the achievements of a man who is by all accounts a successful businessman and political leader.  From his stellar business career to his work with the Olympics to his term as governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney offers countless reasons why moderate, rational, genuine people would think he is the better choice for president.  For example, they know/believe:

1. His successful career as governor of Massachusetts where he balanced the budget every year by working with a legislature that was heavily weighted toward the Democrat Party.

2. His work in the Olympics in which he was literally called in to "save" an organization that was plagued by scandal and cost over-runs and waste.  By cutting unnecessary spending and securing corporate sponsorship to fund part of the games, Mitt helped lead one of the most successful Olympics in history.

3. As a man who worked most of his career in finance, Mitt Romney proved he knows how to analyze data as a way of helping companies operate more efficiently.  Granted, that sometimes means cutting aspects of a company that are a drag on the success of the company.  However, that is necessary, and it is a skill that the federal government has clearly lacked for decades.

4. Along with Paul Ryan he is proposing bold and necessary changes to the entitlement programs of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid which are on unsustainable financial courses.  Despite cries from many people, these changes must be made.

5. He will lower tax rates and encourage investment which will spur economic activity and produce jobs. By closing loopholes in a tax code that is ridiculously convoluted, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan's plan will repair a disaster of special interest government.

6. He will cut out unnecessary and wasteful government programs that our current government has been reluctant to challenge.  This includes subsidies to organizations such as the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.  While many decry this as an attack on Big Bird, there are many Americans who do not believe the government should be in the business of funding broadcasting - especially when news sources such as NPR have a decidedly liberal slant.

7. A majority of Americans for a variety of reasons oppose the Affordable Care Act - Obamacare - and never asked for such a monstrous piece of legislation - especially one that requires the purchase of a product like insurance.  This was a huge overreach by the Obama Administration during a time of economic crisis.

8. Free birth control?  People can pay for their own birth control.  And Planned Parenthood is an organization that can - and maybe should - be entirely privately funded.

9. Mitt Romney will appoint federal judges who will rule against Roe v. Wade - which won't outlaw abortion, but would simply return the issue to the states.

10. They just like Mitt Romney better - they trust him to fix the economy in a way that they feel President Obama hasn't

Reasons to Vote for President Obama

As the election nears its home stretch, and Hurricane Sandy opens up all sorts of new conversations regarding government and its role and bi-partisanship and the common good, it's worth taking a look at why we would vote for either candidate.  More importantly, it's worth acknowledging that both candidates have the good of the country at heart, and, as I told a woman who knocked on my door the other day, "If President Obama or Mitt Romney wins, the country is not going to fall to pieces."  We aren't going to go over the fiscal cliff, the government won't take over our lives, and America won't be on its way down.

With that in mind, I am considering the naive hope that we can simply learn to concede and acknowledge opposing view while moving toward more moments of consensus, such as we saw between New Jersey Governor Chris Cristi and President Obama this week.  Despite a move toward political division and intransigence, we are all Americans first.  This is a point we are reminded of in the new book by former moderate Republican congressman Micky Edwards.  Edwards posed some valuable ideas about partisanship in the Atlantic Monthly when he considered How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans.  His ideas about partisanship are worth considering.

So, even though there are many arguments against a second term for President Obama, here is a list of reasons why rational, educated, and genuine Americans would think President Obama is the better choice for president.  They probably know and/or believe:

1. The American economy that was about to go off a cliff in 2008 didn't, and has rebounded to a stable and growing - albeit weakly - status.

2. The stock market has been hovering near 14,000 for a while now, and corporations are posting record profits while sitting on more than $2 trillion in cash reserves.

3. The economy that was hemorrhaging jobs is now adding them, even in manufacturing areas like the auto industry.

4. The auto industry and all its related jobs is doing quite well.

5. They cannot be kicked off their insurance coverage for getting sick and they are allowed to access coverage even if they have a pre-existing condition.

6. They don't trust health insurance companies to have their best interests at heart.

7. They acknowledge the jobs saved by the stimulus program - which may have included teachers, police officers, and firefighters in their town.

7A. They understand the stimulus program was 40% tax cuts insisted upon by the Republican party.

8. They know jobs were lost because of corporate misdoings, not government interference.

9. They don't believe that education budgets need to be cut.

10. They don't blame poor people and food stamps and foreign aid for the rising debt and deficit.

11. The Iraq war is over and soldiers are coming home.

12. The war in Afghanistan is winding down and Al-Qeada has been massively weakened and disrupted across the world.

13. No terrorist attacks in the US.

14. Osama bin Laden is dead.

15. The believe a woman's reproductive system is her private medical issue.

16. They simply like him better.  They feel he understands their problems more.  They think he shares their values and is committed to their well-being.

The High Cost of Higher Education

As both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney continue to battle over who will better serve students and workers in preparing for their future, TIME Magazine has an excellent feature on the rising costs and changing face of higher education in this country.  Of interest to me is the role that government plays in subsidizing education and research - much to the ignorance of the average American.  I went to the University of Illinois, and most people I know went to public universities.  Additionally, many people I know who attended private universities did so with the help of government subsidized student loans.  In the years 2012, the average tuition and fees for a private school is $28,000 per year, while the average tuition and fees for a public university is roughly $8,500 per year.  So, the question you have to ask yourself is this: if you went to a public university or if you have kids who are attending college or plan to attend college, why would you ever support political candidates who seek to cut government funding for education by up to 20%?

Why?

A Longer or Just Different School Year

My school generally starts school during the week of August 20, has a one-week fall break in October, a two-week winter break in December, a one-week spring break in March, and lets out for summer by June 7.  It's quite a nice schedule - especially the addition of the fall break.  When I first moved to Colorado and discovered "fall break," I thought it was the greatest invention in the history of school schedules.  After nine or ten weeks to kick off the year, a week around Halloween was the perfect time to recharge.  I can't imagine ever going back to a "shorter" school year that starts around Labor Day and gets out by the end of May, but has shorter breaks during the year.  Summer is long enough as it is, and the quarterly breaks are great.

Now, as more school districts consider changes to the traditional schedule, decisions about breaks are beginning to drive the discussion.  That said, I am no fan of year-round school, and I am opposed to blanket statements that we simply need a longer school year.  However, a shorter summer break with extended fall, winter, and spring breaks makes all the sense in the world.  Summer vacation is a time-honored tradition in American culture, and it is one that should remain.  Summer is a time for extended camps and summer employment, leisure time and more athletic opportunities.  While we currently have one-week breaks in the spring and fall, I would gladly lop three weeks off the summer on either side, and take two weeks in fall, two weeks in spring, and three in the winter.  That would still leave eight or more solid weeks in the summer.

Nothing wrong with that.

The College and Education Bubble

It's no mystery that too many people are going to college.  With 29% of the country currently holding bachelor degrees or better, and unemployment a significant problem for them, especially if they just graduated, the conventional wisdom is that we need to re-think this obsession with college degrees.  Certainly, at a time that millions are out of work while millions of jobs in skilled labor go unfilled, the economy's long reliance on the college degree as credibility is passing.

With that in mind, Virginia Heffernan of Yahoo News offers her insights on How to Burst the College Bubble.  Heffernan's point is similar to many earlier criticisms of the college-degree-as-screening device made by people such as Charles Murray who wrote Real Education, and developed further with the work of Anya Kamenetz who published Generation Debt and DIY-U (Do It Yourself University).  In essence, the obsessive focus on college degrees has actually diminished the focus and value of education.  Heffernan looks forward - albeit quite quixotically - to a time when "you'd study not to get a credential .. but to improve your mind or acquire a skills, [much like] the reason you go to karate ... or yoga class."

The college degree as screening device has its merits - but employers could "devise their own tests to find valuable hires."  And the idea that a credential qualified someone, as opposed to a real demonstration of skill, would be lessened.  Or perhaps, as new platforms like Coursera propose, employers would emphasize the seat time on campus less than the acquisition of skills and knowledge.  Granted, there is still a legitimate argument for a classical education as the foundation of culture.  And the more well rounded people are, the more they generally contribute to society.  That said, we may be long overdue for a bursting of the College Bubble.

Don't Follow Your Passion - And Stop Telling Kids to Do That

Students come to school for more than just content knowledge - they are looking to figure themselves out and find their way in the world.  On a practical level, they are on a path to their career and future life.  However, some people lament the pressure on students to make "life decisions" at the age of seventeen or nineteen .... or twenty-six?  The problem for many kids is they don't know who they are or "what they want to do with their lives."  And, too many counselors and teachers and parents and friends offer the misleading advice to "follow your passion."

People like Discovery Channel's Mike Rowe and Georgetown professor Cal Newport disagree.

Years ago, I watched Mike Rowe's "Ted Talk" in which he said following his passion was "the worst advice I ever got.  Follow your passion and go broke, right?"  And I was always fascinated by his insight - especially because I did follow my passion.  In Rowe's opinion, some people should follow their passions, some people should follow their skills, and some people should just follow the market. Certainly, that is more practical than just telling all kids to "find something you love, and then find a job that pays you to do it."  That's actually pretty weak and useless advice.  And that sentiment has been furthered with a recent op-ed in the New York Times from a professor named Cal Newport and his new book called So Good They Can't Ignore You.  Cal writes about his decision to pursue a Ph.D. in his twenties instead of taking an exciting new job or taking an advance to publish his first book.

Cal Newport certainly has a lot of great insight about making life decisions, and his books and blog are certainly worth checking out.  I am impressed with the idea behind his book - though I haven't read it yet - because I was offering similar advice to my seniors today.  My thought today was Make Yourself Indispensable, and that has become a theme in much business writing these days.  People are going to need to adapt and become more multifaceted if they want to remain employable and successful.  And I will be recommending several of Newport's books to my students.  He published his first at the age of twenty-one about how to "do college."  And he has subsequently published other bits of academic advice:

How to Win At College: Surprising Secrets For Success from the Country's Top Students

How to Be a High School Superstar: A Revolutionary Plan to Get Into College by Standing Out

How to Become a Straight A Student:  The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less 

Advice like Mike Rowe's and Cal Newport's cannot be emphasized enough - especially in the contemporary world of always changing technologies and markets.

The Amazing Race - Season 21 - Kicks Off In Los Angeles

OK, who doesn't know what an abacus is?

Fresh off its most recent Emmy Award for Best Reality TV, CBS' phenomenally successful "race around the world," The Amazing Race kicked off its twenty-first season in Pasadena, California tonight.  A quick opening challenge put the teams on the plane to Shanghai, China, and the race around the world has begun again.  I have to admit, though, I was disappointed by the opening city, as its becoming tiresome to begin in Los Angeles and then quickly hop over to China.  Granted, last season took off for Argentina as the first stop, and a couple seasons back, they left from Massachusetts.  But, in general, the Amazing Race leaves from LA and heads to Southeast Asia, and the whole thing is becoming cliche.  My family was predicting an East Coast start heading to Europe, and I was calling for a kickoff from Washington, D.C. to honor the presidential election.  Alas, it was not to be, and the teams were quickly out of LAX and on to China.

The teams are as eclectic - and strangely predictable - as always, and I don't see any real favorites yet.  Certainly, the winning team tonight - which was the dating divorced couple - ran a nice first leg.  And the Amazing Race creators have developed a fascinating new twist with a potential million dollar bonus if the first leg winner actually wins the whole race.  Now, the pressure is on this young couple.  And the big news - and bittersweet moment - from the opening is the couple from Crested Butte with the girl who survived debilitating injuries from meninigitis as a young woman.  At the moment that it counted most, the Colorado couple was out front and told a couple teams where to find the final clue - one team made them pay and ran them down for first place.  Certainly, it was hard to watch.  But they didn't have to share the information.  That's just the way the race goes.  Though it was tough to watch double amputee Amy struggle and get passed right before the pit stop.  Angst.

Beyond that, there were certainly some annoying situations for long time race viewers.  For example, you never simply follow a team without first getting your clue, as the Chippendale dancers did.  They lost valuable time by running after a team before they had their final clue.  And, it was tough to see the monster truck driver make the mistake of not reading the clue - and being forced to eat a double dose of the frogs' fallopian tubes.  Retch!  But that's a standard practice for the Amazing Race.  Always read your clue closely.  I mean, really.  Who doesn't know these basic practices.  And I don't care about the intensity of the race and making rash decisions.  If you watch regularly, you know to play the game prudently.  Certainly, the old couple lost after their ill-fated trip to the Bank of China. They even commented how fortunate they were to get that tip - and it cost them the entire race.  Oops.

I have to say that I still lament the loss of Elimination Station on the website last season.  It was one of our favorite parts of the show, and I still would like to see it return.  Regardless, it's nice to see the return of The Amazing Race.  Who's your favorite?

Seoul Sausage Wins The 2012 Great Food Truck Race

The Food Network's Great Food Truck Race of 2012 aired its finale tonight from the coast of Maine, and, as it should have been, the boys from Seoul Sausage reined victorious over the spirited girls from Nonna's Kitchenette.  For the second year in a row, the Great Food Truck Race was won by a trio of Korean guys cooking up American food truck versions of Korean specialties like Korean BBQ and fried kimchi balls.  That's saying something about the culinary tastes of the growing food truck culture - and it says something about the culinary chops of these young men.  This year, the winner was never really in doubt from also the first week.  Though the boys of Seoul Sausage almost always failed to win the truck stop challenges, what really mattered in the end was the ability to consistently put out good food and draw the crowds.  That's the secret of the food truck culture, and these boys should be proud that they have made a career decision which has been validated from coast to coast in seven different cities.

The girls from Nonna's certainly have nothing to be ashamed of, though they are obviously not as polished as the boys from Seoul Sausage.  I'd bet these girls could find some backing and get enough support to make a go of it in food truck culture on their own.  Certainly, it would have been nice to have the initial investment taken care of - a fully furnished food truck and $50K is going to set the Korean lads up well for success.  However, 99.9% of people who establish successful food trucks don't win a contest and have the foundation set up for them.  So, the gals from Jersey should simply take a lesson and understand that they do have what it takes to make it in the food business.  Of course, it's worth noting that they were actually much farther behind Seoul Sausage than Tyler Florence made it seem.  While Tyler says they lost by $103, it was actually a loss by $603.  They won a challenge that gave them a huge financial bonus - and that perk doesn't exist in the business world.  So, even when Tyler said they were within five dollars of each other, it was never really that close from a business world perspective.

Regardless, this turned out to be a satisfying season for the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race.  I'll admit that when the season started, I didn't like they idea of having novices compete for their own food truck.  I wanted to see skilled food trucks duke it out.  However, the concept has grown on me, and I am thrilled that the Food Network is supporting aspiring chefs, instead of already established ones, with this format.  Even the boys from Pop-a-Waffle learned they can compete in the food truck business - and despite my criticism of their food quality and ... appearance, I hope they pursue their dream as well.

Congrats to the boys of Seoul Sausage.  You made your parents proud.  Good luck to Nonna's as well. And hats off to the Food Network for another great show.  Now, some more of Jeff the Sandwich King.  And more on healthy and quality cuisine.

Jim McMahon & Concussions & Dementia & NFL Safety

Jim McMahon was the larger-than-life professional athlete of my youth.  The headband-wearing Chicago Bears quarterback was a rock star in shoulder pads, and he defined toughness and cool.  I can still recall the images of him being upended and spun around by blitzing linebackers, and his toughness and attitude endeared him to millions of fans, especially young teen males.  And, so the news of Jim McMahon's early onset dementia and the fading of his shining personality is a bit of sadness that takes away the innocence of football fans.  The curtain has been pulled back, and now we are gaining some insight into the incredibly high price paid by these gladiators of the contemporary age.

A needless price that is too high.

In a series of recent profiles and interview pieces, Jim McMahon and his wife have revealed that he is suffering from dementia at the age of 53.  As one of the hundreds of former NFL players that is currently suing the league for not more effectively warning them of the dangers and working to protect players, McMahon has recently said that given the choice again, he would have never played football.  That is a shocking and sad assertion by one of the league's most colorful personalities.  If anyone lived the dream of the NFL player, it was the crazy, competitive, irreverent, and lively Jim McMahon. He was the Chicago Bears.  He was the Super Bowl Shuffle.  Everyone wanted Jim McMahon on their team - and this was the days before Fantasy Football.

Now, he's a shell of a man.  And it doesn't have to be this way.

The lawsuit by NFL players and the increasingly serious news of concussions and their long-term effects have generated discussion of how the sport of football will proceed.  And, it's filtering all the way down to the Pop Warner and high school leagues.  In fact, some articles report that the number of high school players participating in football is dropping for the first time anyone can remember.  Are parents and kids rethinking the risks of a few weeks of Friday night glory.  I know I am quite glad my son is a baseball and basketball player, as well as a distance runner.  I would not want my son playing the sport - though I must admit the hypocrisy of being a serious fan of the game.  Of course, I am not opposed to changes to increase safety.  And, I am actually a proponent of the most serious  and effective rule changes on the table.  If football wants to make its sport safer ...

Ban the helmet.

It's really that simple.  Football needs to return to its origins and get rid of helmets.  For, it's no surprise to anyone that helmets give a false sense of security.  No one without a helmet is going to being willing to smash his bare head against another body.  That's the beauty of rugby.  And it was the beauty of football in the early days.  By getting rid of helmets, the game will inherently become more athletic and less about brute force.  Additionally, football leagues should move to ban the three-point stance.  By requiring offensive and defensive lineman to begin plays in an upright position, they will be less able to propel themselves forward into head-smashing situations.  Ultimately, this will be good for the game.  More importantly, it will honor and respect the safety of the young men who sacrifice their bodies for our entertainment.

So, in the name of a fading Jim McMahon - and hundreds of other nameless men suffering - ban the helmet.  Ban the helmet and save football.

Conservatism and the Problem for Mitt Romney and the GOP in 2012

Being an unaffiliated independent voter who generally splits between Democrats and Republicans while looking for the most moderate and pragmatic legislators I can find, I have watched the implosion of Mitt Romney's campaign and the resilient nature of President Obama's administration with absolute fascination.  At times like this I look to the moderate voices on conservatism and politics, trying to sift through the white noise of ideology and campaigning.  As I noted recently with the recent national polls - and conservative commentary backlash - on Mitt Romney, I have tried to explain how it's not about Mitt - it's about the message.

Conservatism is struggling to find a voice among the moderate middle voters, even though they naturally and consciously veer to the right.  The problem is well articulated by David Brooks this week in the New York Times with his insightful commentary The Conservative Mind.  Most outspoken Republicans these days will actually miss the allusion in Brooks' title to the seminal work by Russel Kirk, an iconic figure in the annals of American conservatism.  And, that is the problem.  The flippant free-market ranters of the conservative right these days have little in common with the roots of conservatism among people like Kirk and Edmund Burke.  The conservative mind is about believing and supporting the traditional institutions that are the foundation of civilization - as Brooks notes, the conservative wants to preserve a society that functioned as a harmonious ecosystem, in which the different layers were nestled upon each other: individual, family, company, neighborhood, religion, city government and national government.

Conservatism is not about opposing or having contempt for government.  In fact, the conservative knows the integral role government plays in restraining the irrational and primal side of the individual that puts the entire society at risk.  And, granted, the conservative values liberty above most things, and he worries about collectivism and cultures of dependency.  But there is little faith among the conservative for the "unbridled free market," which puts society as at much risk.  The social and financial inequality that results is not good for civilization.  Conservative blogger Rod Dreher (read and alluded to by Brooks) also argues for this pragmatism and cites the Ten Conservative Principles developed and articulated by Russel Kirk.  These are ideas that are worth reviewing - and Dreher's work with The American Conservative should be regular reading for the average Republican.

Certainly, checking in at The American Conservative from time to time is worthwhile - for it is the best explanation the GOP is going to find for Why Romney Is Losing.  I would like to see the GOP shift back to the thinking of people like Kirk and Burke and Disraeli and Brooks and Dreher.  But I don't hold out hope.  Thus, I continue to be stuck by the problem of not being overly thrilled with the Obama Presidency yet being repelled by the Romney Campaign.

Troubling.

Messy Classrooms & Sloppy Professionalism

Some may like us to believe that "A messy desk is a sign of a genius."  The question for the education profession is whether a messy classroom is a reflection on the instruction or the quality of the teacher.  Having taught for many years in several schools, I have seen it all when it comes to classroom design and maintenance.  And, I am always baffled - and rather put off - by the classrooms that reflect the scattered nature of a student's locker or a teenager's bedroom.  In a basic sense of professionalism, there would seem to be no justification for books haphazardly left on the floor or loose papers strewn across the desk, bookshelves, and corners.  Such a disregard for order and decorum seems to imply a casualness that could be perceived by students as less than serious.

Granted, I am a bit OCD in the way I like my classroom and desk.  In fact, years ago a colleague came in to my classroom to chat and paused, looking carefully at my desk.  "You live," she told me, "in a right-angle world."  And, my room is rather neat an orderly, though not lacking in character and some form of decoration.  Though that would seem to create and reflect the kind of order that is necessary for a learning environment.  Students, it seems without doubt, need structure in their lives and classes.  In fact, the classroom and school are sometimes the only order they can count on.  Beyond that idea though, there should be an expectation that teachers rooms are tidy.

Pop-A-Waffle Exits Great Food Truck Race

In the run-up to the finale of the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race, the three teams of Seoul Sausage, Nonna's Kitchenette, and Pop-A-Waffle rolled into Cleveland for the semi-final challenge.  In a victory for culinary tastes and modest, healthier waist lines, Pop-A-Waffle will not be rolling back out of Cleveland.  The rather schlubby guys from Los Angeles were finally eliminated, despite winning the truck stop challenge and being given three hours to sell food while the other two trucks were shut down.  Thankfully, that did not give them an advantage for their unappealing and certainly far-from-healthy food.

During the entire season of this Great Food Truck Race, I have been disappointed by the mediocre and unappealing food put out by a group of three guys who look so unhealthy I wouldn't buy a paperclip from them.  The entire chicken-n-waffle concept is far too Paula Dean for a show which is hosted by Tyler Florence - and for a network that employs some of the top chefs and high cuisine.  Certainly, none of the contestants are making the healthiest food this season - but the concept of waffles with whipped cream out of a can is just really disappointing.  And the men in the waffle truck need to hit the gym and Weight Watchers for about six months before they decide to start shilling for waffle business again.

Fortunately, the finale for the Great Food Truck Race will be two trucks with people who actually know how to cook, and can serve up some quality cuisine.  The odds-on favorite is clearly Seoul Sausage, who has consistently won week after week with a dependable formula.  These Korean guys know how to run a food truck, and they should be proud.  However, the girls from Nonna's can certainly give them a challenge, and it should be an interesting finale.

As an added bonus to the Sunday night line-up, this episode of the Great Food Truck Race was followed by the premiere of the Food Network's $24 in 24, featuring Jeff Mauro, the Sandwich King.  Jeff is branching out with a new show featuring inexpensive but great food from cities around the country.  I am excited about this show - which premiered in Jeff's hometown of Chicago.  And, I am really hoping this can provide a relief from the endless replays of Guy's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  Jeff the Sandwich King has Guy-like star power, and hopefully this show takes off and generates some more press - and a better time slot - for Jeff the Sandwich King.

*UPDATE - For info on Season 4 premiering Sunday, August 18, check here.

Is It About 47%-ers, or 1%-ers?

How quickly the class warfare discussions have shifted - away from President Obama's plans to tax the super-rich - and on to Mitt Romney's apparently clueless remarks about some ambiguous group that makes up 47% of the electorate, doesn't pay income taxes, feels like a victim, feels entitled to health care and a job and a house, and wasn't going to vote for Mitt Romney anyway.

Governor Romney has made a serious mistake and miscalculation about percentages - and is being painted by even some in his own party as a derisive plutocrat.  There are several ways to parse the 47% that Mitt may be talking about.  For one, roughly 46% of the population identifies as Democrats, or Republicans, with about 38% voting that way all the time.  So, Romney is correct that a certain percentage of people will never vote for him because it's about party and ideology.  Additionally, there is a common notion - from a study by the Brookings Institution - that 46% of Americans don't pay an "federal income tax."  The reasons vary - as some are fixed income seniors and others are working poor who have their burden erased the Earned Income Tax Credit (a tax credit widely supported by many in the GOP, including W. Bush).

The problem for Romney is that he has assumed the 46-47%-ers who won't vote from - and those who don't pay income taxes - are the same group.  And that's far from the truth.  It negates all the Republicans in all the Red States who currently don't pay income taxes and do receive government benefits.  And it confuses the many Democrats who pay plenty in taxes and would never vote for Mitt Romney for numerous reasons, not the least of which is the elite, plutocratic view that leads to making inane statements like Romney has been making.

There is No Health Care in the United States

As I continue to observe people with incredibly poor diets living unhealthy lifestyles with very little attention to exercise, I've concluded that there is very little health care in this country.  People are not taking care of their health - and they are absolutely shameless about it.  Currently, Americans seem to be completely up in arms about the health care crisis - whether that means access or costs.  But there is little talk about the role personal responsibility plays in this area.

Roughly, 80% of health care spending the in United States - that's eight out of every ten health care dollars - goes to treat chronic illnesses that can be completely or predominantly treated with diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes.  Hypertension, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, joint problems, back problems, type-2 diabetes and all the associated liver and kidney problems:  these are all  lifestyle diseases.

If Americans would cut out the sodas and unhealthy snacks, walk thirty minutes a day, and weight trained a couple times a week, America's health care costs could be cut dramatically.  Dare I say, we could cut wasteful "health care" spending in half.  Medicare and Medicaid would be in much better shape because we could be consuming far fewer services.  And, this should appeal to people of all status and ideology.  Personal responsibility needs to be part of the health care discussion.  And we all do have an interest (financial) in the eating and exercise habits of others.

As Michael Pollan says,

Eat food.

Mostly vegetables.

Not too much.

And take a walk.

It's Not About Mitt Romney - It's the GOP Platform

According to the latest buzz, Mitt Romney is under fire from his own party over the tepid campaign he is waging.  In the view of both Laura Ingram and George Will, if Mitt Romney and the Republicans cannot beat President Obama in the current climate, the party should hang it up and seek a new line of work.  The strategy has run back and forth and all over the place, but the campaign has mostly been about the fact that Mitt Romney is not Obama.  The central idea is to be the anti-Obama, and to rail against the President for everything from health care to taxes to Solyndra to the trading of Tim Tebow. The biggest frustration for the GOP - especially the conservatives on talk radio and television - is that they can't simply fire off the Reagan question - "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" - and call it game, set, and match.

And that disconnect is the heart of the Republican's problem.  It's the platform, people.  The country may not be thrilled with their lives and the current state of the economy and government.  But they aren't thrilled about the alternatives either.

It's not a winning strategy to run as the anti-Obama when the president is actually quite likable and in many ways popular.  The American people may be unhappy with their job situation - but they are just as likely to blame the company that laid them off as they are the White House's economic policies.  In fact, it may be more so, considering many employed people were hired back at worse jobs for less pay even as they saw the corporate sector boasting profits and the stock market come roaring back.  The problem is that the voters don't trust Mitt Romney and the trickle-down ideas, and they associate him with the part of society that is doing well.  Time Magazine reported on the state of malls in America this week, and the surprising news is that the outlook at middle and working class malls is more vacancies, but the malls that serve the top 10% of earners are actually doing well ... even growing.

The American people don't hold President Obama in great contempt.  And they are not thrilled about the idea of Medicare becoming a voucher.  And they don't see why Warren Buffet should pay so little in taxes.  And they don't have lots of dividends and stocks, especially not to the point of moving the money off-shore to avoid taxes.  And they don't believe that abortion should be outlawed in all cases.  And they haven't put English as a national language high on their list of priorities.  And they do have sympathy for undocumented children who simply want to stay in the only home country they've ever known.  And they don't see why the Bush tax cuts for top earners can't expire.  And they are liking the fact that the insurance companies can't drop them or deny them now.  And they appreciated the rebate they got for their health care.  And they like not being misled by credit card companies anymore.

The sad - and strange - thing for the GOP is that if Mitt Romney loses, the Republicans will misread it as the country being even more conservative and opposed to government than it is, and they will seek even more hardline conservatives for 2014 and 2016.  And for a party that desperately needs to move to the center, that will be a huge mistake.

Republicans.  It's your ideas.

America Is ... a Tad Disgusting

My family and I spent Saturday morning running a 5K for the First America State Bank Fitness Festival, and it was quite simply refreshing and a lot of fun.  Roughly a thousand people in the area of southeast Denver turned out for a 5K run/walk and a one-mile fun run for the little kids.  Many of the local high schools turned out with their cross-country teams and cheerleading squads to promote health and wellness.

To contrast that, we attended youth baseball today for a double-header and I was depressed and quite nauseated to witness the poor health and disgusting eating - and parenting - habits of Americans.  The first thing that struck me was the number of overweight kids who are playing organized sports.  Too many young people are just overweight and out of shape, and it's just so sad.  And, I blame the parents.  For, even before the kids are playing - on a chilly September morning at 8:30 - these kids are being given huge bottles of Gatorade to chug on.  And that is nothing but sugar water and chemical coloring, despite the fact that the kids haven't sweated a drop and wouldn't all day.

Beyond that were ... the snacks.  How about a supermarket bag full of Doritos and Pringles and Cheeze-its and Oreos?  Nothing like a little starch and empty white flour carbs loaded with sugar for a little "energy."  And if that weren't enough, it certainly made sense to top it off between games with a trip to McDonalds.  Really, people?  Has any effort at health and nutrition gone completely out the window?  Are people this completely clueless about fitness?  It's not surprising, considering the size - and shape - of many of the fathers in the stands.  But it is truly sad.  They've just completely given up - and there is literally no shame about how bad they look.

Of course, the question is - why is this my business?

I look at it financially.  There is no doubt that diet and exercise are hugely significant on health and health care spending.  And Medicare and Medicaid spending are busting out with a generation of people raised on sugar and empty white flour carbs.  That expense affects my health care costs as well.  Insurance pools disperse cost and risk.  So for every handful of Doritos going down someone's gullet, I am seeing a rise in my health care costs.  And it is unsustainable.  The great irony is that amidst all this gluttony, people turn their ire toward the "Food Police."  As if that cinnamon roll is so important and part of everyone's Constitutional right to the pursuit of happiness.

Ultimately, I see it from A Teacher's View.  These children are being harmed by the ignorant behavior of their parents, and they will be saddled with a lifetime of weight struggle because parents didn't care enough to be educated about health and wellness.  According to research, only 10% of parents of overweight and obese children seek help in treating the condition.

So, so sad.

Hyperink Changes the Study Guide Industry All Over Again

Study guides such as Cliff Notes and Spark Notes and No Fear and Grade Saver have been offering simplified summaries of classic literature and required reading for decades, and they have long been the standard in the genre.  However, their specialties have long been the classics of contemporary high school and college curricula, and most students turn to them for help deciphering Shakespeare's Hamlet or assistance in prepping for the ACT.  There were many books that these standard industry leaders didn't touch - and they were mainly the books that weren't in demand in the classroom.  Yet, there are many books that people would love to read - or say they have read - but they don't have the time.  Hyperink intends to fill that void.

I first happened across Hyperink while searching Amazon for books by Jonah Leher - the recently scandalized writer who published in Wired and the New Yorker before being exposed for academic dishonesty.  While searching his book Imagine, I discovered an offering for a "Quicklet" on Leher's books.  Upon investigation I learned that Hyperink is a company devoted to publishing quick book summaries of popular non-fiction works.  The entire business model is the brainchild of an entrepreneur named Kevin Gao, who first made a name for himself with his self-publishing book on consulting, The Consulting Bible.   Hyperink apparently caught the attention of one of the original venture capitalists behind the HuffPost, Kenneth Lerer, who has bankrolled the company.  The concept is not new, even to the internet, as freelance source such as Associated Content, Demand Media Studios, and eHow have been offering these summaries of popular content for a while now. Perhaps the most successful model on this idea was the inventors of the For Dummies handbooks.  Hyperink has simply repackaged it, again.

And Hyperink is also branching out into other fields of publishing, making it easier for "experts" and aspiring writers to publish books.  For example, Hyperink has a team of writers who will sift through a bloggers entire collection of posts and "craft a book" out of the entries.  They will also market it and sell it - for a 50% of the profits.  It is a reasonable offer, and Hyperink is able to do for many writers what they are unable to do for themselves - gather, organize, and market their content.  They will quickly assemble and publish brief summaries and explanations on unique subjects that people often search the internet for.  Thus, someone may want a quick read on "how to garden" or perhaps a short summary of Malcolm Gladwell's works.  Hyperink seeks to provide the content.

At this point, I am not entirely sure how I feel about the rise of Hyperink - as I have criticized the use of No Fear Shakespeare in the classroom.  At the same time, I can understand people simply wanting a little more information about a great book - more than they can get from Wikipedia or the Amazon reviews.  And, certainly, I can concede that books like The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman or The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell can be, well, a bit long winded.  Thus, this secondary avenue to access to information may not be a bad development.  That said, I am a bit concerned that it veers close to copyright infringement, but it's certainly not plagiarism.  And it's no difference than people asking me about a book that I have read.  As a teacher, I often give "A Teacher's View" of many popular works such as Friedman's books.

In many ways, I am disappointed I didn't think of it first.  It is, in fact, an industry based on the idea of blogs is good business.  Bloggers read a great many articles and then write short summaries of them, including links.  Hyperink has simply market-ized it.  From an educational standpoint, there is a similarity to what Sal Khan of the Khan Academy is doing.  He is simply shortening and simplifying the information people - or students - want to know about and putting it in a digestible form.  So, add Hyperink to the list of one more company that is pumping accessible information - even if it is recycled - into the marketplace, and making a lot of money doing it.

The Truth about Medicare and "Medi-Scare"

By now the fact checkers have had their way with Paul Ryan's speech and his ... uh ... clever use of the "facts" when it comes to budgets, the economy, and Medicare.   But it's the Medicare comments that have really bothered me.  At one time I was impressed with Paul Ryan's big ideas and willingness to challenge the country on Medicare spending.  While I was leery of the implementation of his voucher program, I was glad he was willing to have the tough conversation.  America's biggest fiscal threat is an aging population, the rapidly increasing retirements of Baby Boomers, and the un-bridled growth in health care costs and spending.

And then he gave an incredibly disingenuous speech.

Paul Ryan walked away from his credibility when he went to Florida and criticized President Obama for making "cuts" in Medicare, even though Ryan's much-touted budget plan makes the entire same cuts - which aren't cuts in benefits but restraints on runaway payments to doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals.  It was quite near hypocrisy - and then he went one step more.  Ryan literally accused the Democrats and President Obama of raiding Medicare while claiming "a Ryan-Romney administration will protect and strengthen Medicare."  Of course, that's simply not true, as Ryan's plan is to replace Medicare with a voucher program.  Replacing the program literally is an end to the program.

The critics have been quite vocal about this - but none has effectively articulated this as Paul Krugman has in his most recent column.  Krugman can be a bit much at times, and I don't always agree with his plans or his ideology and partisanship.  But his analysis of Medicare and Paul Ryan is spot on.  Medicare is pretty non-negotiable in this country because health care costs are unrestrained, and the private industry is not going to insure expensive people like senior citizens.  That's why we created Medicare in the first place.  And too many Republicans are forgetting that.  And too many Americans have crazy thoughts like "Keep your government hands off my Medicare."

Of course, Ryan was not wrong to question Medicare spending.  The plan needs reform, and that should begin with means testing and caps on benefits.  And retirees - and all Americans - need to do everything they can to enter retirement as healthy as possible.  And it really bothers me how poorly Americans take care of themselves and then expect incredibly cheap - to the point of almost free - health care in old age.  But a voucher program for seniors is not going to lower costs - and it's going to leave too many without adequate care.  And that is not good for a country.

You Cannot Tip a Cow

For years, I have been listening to people perpetuate the urban legend of "cow tipping."  Where the idea originated is anybody's guess, but it probably began as a way for city and suburban kids to mock and ridicule country kids.  The basic idea would have been that there is nothing to do "out in the sticks," so rural teens spend their weekend nights, driving around drinking, and then they head out to the fields to "tip cows" for fun.

The stated premise - or reason that this can allegedly be done - is cows are incredibly stupid and top heavy and they sleep standing up.  So, in theory, a few people can "sneak up" on the cow and tip it over.  However, there are numerous flaws to this "theory," and I've spent countless conversations try to convince people otherwise.  Having grown up near rural areas, and knowing numerous people who own cattle, I can unequivocally assert that "You cannot tip a cow."

Of course, people amazingly argue this to ridiculous ends.  It's most often my students - who have heard that I say it can't be done.  Inevitably, they ask about it, and then at least one kid will claim to either have done it, or to know someone who has.  Often they swear it can be done because their father has done it, and has told them about it.  And, sadly, I have to tell the kids, "No offense to your father - I'm sure he's a great guy.  But he's lying to you."  Occasionally the stories start to shift a bit - and kids will say "it was a baby cow."  But again.  They've been lied to.

You cannot tip a cow.  Here's why:

• Cows weigh 1,000+ pounds.  Get that?  1,000 - 1,500 pounds.  They're half a ton.  No one - and I mean no one - is just tipping that over.

• Cows don't sleep standing up, and they are incredibly light sleepers.  No one is just sneaking up on a sleeping cow and tipping it over.  They might "doze" or "nap" while standing, but they don't sleep that way.

• Cows are incredibly skittish and afraid.  And, if you are not the cow's owner or caregiver, you are not getting anywhere near that cow.  And if you could and started pushing on it, it would move.  Quickly.  Or it might just kick the shit out of you.  Ask someone who's been kicked while milking one.

• They weigh 1,000 pounds.  Did I mention that yet?

So, even if you could get near them, they wouldn't just let you tip them.  And even if you got them to hold still and brought an NFL defensive line up to push on them, they are not so top heavy that they are going to fall over.  And regardless, no one is talking about those conditions.  People are continuing the myth that drunk teens can sneak up on a cow and tip it over.  But they can't.

I usually end conversations by encouraging them to find proof, and I urge them to check it out on YouTube.  If it could be done, there would certainly be evidence.  But there's not.

So, feel free to prove me wrong.  But you'd look like a fool trying to do so.  Because you cannot tip a cow.