I guess the parents wouldn't get this sign, either.

“If your child is one of the mediocre few that excels on the homework, please congratulate them with a warm handshake or perhaps a half-hearted high-five…”

That’s right, I quoted it.

And Ron Sterr, the Arizona principal that sent out the snarky letter that featured the quote above, should have stood by the message in this (albeit harsh) rant about lazy parenting, the celebration of mediocrity and an over-sensitive society, too.

Instead, he called parents and apologized. And then his supervisor suspended him, and will possibly terminate him. Is that necessary?

Honestly, the letter contains nothing but dark, hilarious commentary written by a frustrated principal in a typical American school. Please, let’s step back from the over-sensitive, “politically correct” modern mentality and realize that, while any reasonable adult can be upset that this error (sending this letter) did occur, we should laugh and dismiss it.

I suspect that the parents who are up-in-arms about this letter probably need to consider the messages within it.

The facts are that Sterr took responsibility for the mistake, apologized and does actually care about the success of the children attending his school.

Sterr says, “I have always loved the kids, and I believe they know it. For anyone to assume that I have those kinds of views is uninformed.”

So quit whining and be a parent: sharpen the pencils and start that 2nd grade homework.

“Being good” is such an overwhelming concept. I read Health magazine for advice, I recycle, I eat organic foods, I’m converting to “good” products for my home, I opt for items with fair trade symbols, I pick up random bits of littered trash, I am courteous and thankful, I drive attentively, I consider other people and most of all, I consider the Earth.

But there’s always something new and it’s exhausting as a college student (or simply a person between 16-26). I’m struggling to fit in all of this “good” with my crazy, hectic, desperate, get-what-you-can-in-your-spare-time schedule.

So I created a mini diary/journal of simple and basic details of a healthy and smart lifestyle. I simplified being “healthy” for my life into a simple check list and I’m gonna stick to it.

A sample page of my new healthy-life journal.

This easily makes me accountable for my behaviors everyday and the foods I eat. The key to this journal is to see what I actually do and inspire me to pay attention to those that I slack on.

Getting enough sleep, stretching, eating breakfast, taking vitamins, exercising, watching less TV, eating properly, avoiding smoking and drinking too frequently, and being financially aware are the key concepts in my life-organization project.

The food log helps hold me accountable for eating greasy foods and extra desserts. As I fill in the foods I eat daily, I number my fruits and vegetables in hope to eat 5 a day.

And on the back of each page I keep a to-do list, a list of the good things I accomplished, the things I may have forgotten or done badly and my overall new goals for the next day or week.

So far it’s working, but I’ll have to keep you posted. Consider what you need to be doing differently and try it out for yourself.

It’s not always bad to use peer pressure, right? Right.

Today I’m removing a piece of tape on my recycling bin. I recycle. And everyone within close proximity to me or my house is made to recycle as well. So when I moved in with my good friend Erin last year and found out that she didn’t know the first thing about recycling, I decided that it was best to just make a super easy and clear guide for her so she could learn to recycle quickly.

I looked at the Baltimore County website for recycling and found their guide to what is recyclable. Then I made a short little guide on a piece of masking tape so that she could quickly glance and see if what she was about to toss out was recyclable or not.

I got good results. And it also helped my non-recycling guests to recycle instead of tossing items into the garbage. I’m glad I can save bottles and cans from a sad trip to death at the landfill.

But now I’ve moved to a place with great single-streamed recycling (which means that almost everything can be recycled– even plastic forks and spoons, etc. all together in one bag) and I have a roommate that is as serious about recycling as I am and so I think it’s time to remove this sticker.

Oh, and you’d better be converting your friends and family to the recycling lifestyle. Find a way to make it easy or better for them. It’s your responsibility to spread the good.