Goals

Back in the 50's there was a well known radio host/comedian/song writer in Hollywood named Stuart Hamblin* who was noted for his drinking,womanizing, partying, etc.

One of his bigger hits at the time was "I won't go hunting with you Jake, but I'll go chasing women."

One day, along came a young preacher holding a tent revival. Hamblin had him on his radio show presumably to poke fun at him.

In order to gather more material for his show, Hamblin showed up at one of the revival meetings.

I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro. He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs.

The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my horse. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.

Father was a hardworking man who delivered bread as a living to support his wife and three children. He spent all his evenings after work attending classes, hoping to improve himself so that he could one day find a better paying job. Except for Sundays, Father hardly ate a meal together with his family. He worked and studied very hard because he wanted to provide his family with the best money could buy.

Whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day. Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.

by Jim Valvano

Thank you, Thank you very much. Thank you. That's the lowest I've ever seen Dick Vitale since the owner of the Detroit Pistons called him in and told him he should go into broadcasting.

TOOTHPICK
Reminds us to look for the good qualities in our students.
You may be the only teacher who says something positive to them that day.


RUBBER BAND
Reminds the teacher that they have to be flexible.
Things don't always go the way we plan,
But flexibility will help to work it out.


BAND AID
Reminds the teacher that sometimes we do more than teach,
That we help heal hurt feelings, broken dreams,
And lend an ear to a problem.


PENCIL
Reminds us to be thankful and we should list our blessings daily,
But also encourage our students to list their blessings

A victory at the race in December 2010 would guarantee 16-year-old Holland Reynolds' California track team a state championship. But just feet from the finish line, Reynolds collapses. A race official, who runs immediately to her side, explains to her that if she wants to finish the race, she can perhaps crawl enough to get one foot over the line--but if she gets assistance from anyone, she would have to be disqualified. Stunning the crowd, Reynolds pulls herself up and crawls toward the finish. In a dramatic, inspiring end, Reynolds crosses the finish line on hands and knees and crosses fast enough to secure the state championship for her team. "I just wanted to cross the line," Reynolds explained to ABC News.

Excerpt from Living a Five Star Life by Betty Mahalik

By Taylor MaliÔÇ¿

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

I decide to bite my tongue instead of his and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests that it's also true what they say about lawyers.

Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says. "Be honest. What do you make?"

Best of America is a page of American tributes, featuring songs and links to articles about the USA and its heros.

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These soldiers are bridging the gap between armed forces and America through song.