So on the drive in this morning, I heard on the radio that the highest paid TV personality for this past year was none other but Judge Judy. I’ve caught that show a couple of times, and I think I have a pretty good grasp of the formula: People bring small claims cases to the judge, who listens to both plaintiff and defendant, usually insulting the intelligence of one or both of them, and then renders a verdict based on the roughly 5 minutes of testimony.
But I digress. I was surprised that Judge Judy pulled in that type of cash (roughly $47 million) and wondered what the draw was, but as I pondered that, it became clear.
People like to look at other people’s problems. It is fascinating, entertaining, and I think on some primal level we’re just glad it isn’t us that is getting insulted by a TV personality in a court room when all you wanted to do was get the $750 that it cost to clean your sofa after the neighbor’s cat vomited on it.
When thinking about problems, there are three indisputable facts that you need to keep in mind:
- Everyone has them.
- Everyone thinks that their problems are the worst, and sometimes they are right.
- Very few people care about your problems, and several may be happy you have them.
How does this tie in to the educational system? I always tell our freshman students at the beginning of their high school careers to cherish the next four years for many reasons, but one above all else: Never again in your life will you have so many people who are so willing to help you. Not only with algebra problems, but with problems in your life.
In my short time here, I have witnessed absolutely staggering acts of kindness, sacrifices in time, effort, and finances to help the young people in our schools.
While the average educator’s salary isn’t quite $47 million, you are making the world a much better place than Judge Judy is. (Please don’t tell her I said that…)
Fan Bus Update: We still have openings for our fan bus to Northrop for this Friday’s football game against the Bruins; if you are interested, stop by the athletic office. For those of you who have already signed up, make sure we have your permission slips by tomorrow morning!
Teacher Jersey Day: Coach Amstutz sent out an e-mail to staff letting all of you know that if interested, you can wear a Knight’s football jersey to school tomorrow; stop by Mrs. Holcomb’s room if you want to support the Knights in this way. I’m also in current discussions with Mr. Hoffar about possibly having teachers wear wrestling singlets during the winter season; so far I’ve had no teacher volunteers for that, but Sgt. Dixon has enthusiastically gotten on board with this idea.
Shout out to the FFA for putting on their usual fabulous corn dinner last night! I didn’t get to partake, and I’m kicking myself for that this morning, but all reports were that it was fantastic. It is a great way to kick off the school year; thank you to Mr. Arnold and all of his students for their work in making that happen!