Complainer's Corner

I really don't like grades. Only occasionally do they accurately indicate what they mean. I have reviewed various studies and abstracts that show no meaningful correlation between a grade point average and success some next level. Many kids who perform well in elementary school flounder once they hit junior high. Some students who struggled in junior high blossom once they hit high school. College can send the brightest for a loop. But even those who fail out of college can discover great success without a degree in hand.

Another thing that drives me bonkers is politics. We elect these people to go to Washington or to our state capitals and we charge them with finding solutions to problems. Every two, four or six years these people keep coming back and telling us about all of the problems that they are going to fix if we'll just elect them again. Sometimes we get tired of the incumbent's song and dance and we elect the challenger. Then when his term is up he'll come back and tell us about the problems that he needs to fix, so he needs our vote one more time.

Another thing I cannot stand is traffic lights. Why can't you get on a road and start driving without having to constantly stop at the intersections? I can understand that you might have to stop at the first light, but once you go through that light, shouldn't the rest of the lights be in sync so that we can get to our destinations more quickly, while causing less pollution? Is there no solution to this problem that has been around since the first traffic light; okay, since the second traffic light?

And if there is one thing that really irks me it's the stunning flavor of unhealthy food. Everything really is better with butter. A healthy salad isn't really delicious until you add the tasty oils and fatty cheeses. Potatoes don't zing until you sprinkle them with salt. If you're making low calorie brownies you should be sent to a penal colony until you have paid your culinary debt to society. Yes, the industrial food machine has discovered the perfect balance of sugar, salt and fat to keep us coming back for more. It's a perfect recipe for profit but I hate it and what it can do to my body.

But I have a little rule about complaining, I only get to complain if I have a possible solution and I'm willing to work to implement it. I don't really complain about grades because every solution I have requires complete honesty from our teachers and students. I can't figure out our politics nor the dynamics of traffic lights, so I patiently wait when that signal goes red. And as for the food, I don't complain, I just eat it. I know it isn't the best but it does taste good. The only solution I've found for that is to get on my bike each day and ride.