BUCKEYES AND BACK TO SCHOOL

Last night I watched my Ohio State Buckeyes dismember the Oregon Ducks. To hear the pundits tell it, almost without exception, the Bucks were going down in a big way. Oregon's offense was fastbreak football at its best and the big, slow, plodding Big Ten representative was going to get shellacked by the mighty Ducks. Terelle Pryor hadn't lived up to his unlimited potential, Jim Tressel was too conservative in his play calling and quite simply the Bucks couldn't win the "BIG ONE".

Honestly, I had some of these criticisms myself, but I've been a loyal Buckeye fan my whole life as was my dad. My aunt told me that my dad was a great athlete playing for the high school at the orphanage where he and his brothers and sisters were raised. She said he had an offer to go to Ohio State to play football, but he thought he would have to pay for school. He saw no way to do that, so he went into the navy. The sad thing is he had no guidance from adults that would have told him they were offering to let him go to school on a scholarship. No one from their school had ever been that good before, so no one knew what to tell him.

My dad never expressed any bitterness over the situation and he rooted loudly and vehemently for the Buckeyes my whole youth. We spent many hours listening and watching the Bucks on TV and radio sharing that interest as father and son. Sports was always something my dad and I shared and enjoyed together. Some of my best memories are intertwined with our mutual love for sports teams such as the Reds, the Dayton Flyers, the Browns, and then the Bengals. I know he would have loved the game last night and I am confident he did enjoy it. Go Bucks.

I have spent the last few days preparing lesson plans for Monday when we return to school. As I did my research for class, made outlines and chapter packets, I thought about my grandfather. We are starting the First World War and I take that opportunity to give a history lesson about my family as my grandfather fought in the Great War. I don't do it to brag, but to educate my students about the human cost of war. The Great War is my favorite subject to teach and I look forward to the lesson on Monday and the coming days.

I am fortunate to be a teacher, I love doing it and I look forward to everyday in class. It is the best job I've ever had. I love talking to the students I've had in class as they return from college. The week before Christmas is a good time for the students to return to the school and see teachers again. I love talking to them and finding out what they're up to and where their life is going. What a great job!