Is it just me, or does everyone else, when getting ready to attend a faculty or department meeting, prepare themselves for these stellar events by figuring out what they are going to read just in case the meeting devolves into a complete waste of time?

Is it just me, or does everyone else think that all these face piercings that kids today wear look like they really hurt when initially installed?

Is it just me, or does everyone else think that student desks should be more comfortable considering how long we are asking them to sit their butts down in them?

Is it just me, or do other people have students who feel that homework is an educational option — and if they only turn in 65% of the assignment, these kids feel as if they should get 65% credit. (Well, when they go to McDonalds and order french fries and the container is only 65% full, do they let the fry cook tell them, “Ah dude, that should be cool, right?”)

Is it just me, or do other teachers have what seems to be thousands of students in violation of the dress code every single day?

Is it just me, or does everyone else, think it’s short-sighted and childish that things like voicethread, animoto and other web tools like me.com are blocked from my access by the school district’s firewall as if they are insuring student safety by holding onto archaic internet policies?

Is it just me, or does everyone else feel as if it’d be nice for the local business community to step up and offer some real support to their local schools through internships, professional leaves days for the employees to come speak to us, financial support, and so on?

Is it just me, or does everyone else think that there are a whole lot of things that could use re-thinking this year… but know that they are going to be shelved until next year… where we’ll know we need to re-think them again… but we’ll shelve them again til the year after that cause there is something always more immediately pressing than planning for a better future when it comes to running schools.?

Are schools a house of shame that eats its young or an institution that best represents the ideals of humanity? A look at the news slants us towards the former but when you work with the kids, there is little doubt it’s the latter.

For example, stories like this freak everyone out. I mean cage fights at high school? If I put this in a book, I think I’d have a hard time selling it because it’s just too far-fetched. But as the ol’ saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction. You almost can’t make this stuff up.

Then again, when you read about kids like Denise, you feel good to know that there are some take-charge kids out there making their schools — and this world — a better place.

Budget cuts are ripping everyone’s heart out. But teachers are becoming more innovative and resourceful than ever before.

Political shenanigans are omnipresent yet sentiments of positive change are all about and everyone can feel the tide is turning in a better direction.

So, is the school’s milk carton half empty or half full? (And what does your answer say about you?)