The best advice I was ever given came from a position with the federal government about ten years ago. It was a job that required lots of quick judgment calls and the training I received could not have prepared me for every possible outcome. The advice was that whenever I was in the field pondering some decision or approaching a problem, I should envision the my actions as they would appear written in a headline on the front page of the Chicago Tribune (I was living in Chicago at the time). I still consider this advice when I’m making a decision.
Here are some of the headlines that could have been:
Stay at Home Mom Complains Endlessly About School Food; Does Nothing
Due to Parental Silence, School District Never Realized How Lame the Food Was
Parents Frustrated With School Food Say Nothing to Avoid Reputation as ‘Food Cop’
Kent Schools Face Unforeseen Obesity Epidemic: No One Knew Super Donuts Made Kids Overweight
Kent City Schools Finally Dragged Into Altering School Food By Order of Congress, National Guard Hauls Away Fryers
Here are some headlines that could be:
Kent School District Unveils New Healthy Menu in Response to Parental Feedback
Other Districts Imitate Kent’s Health Success Through Food, Education and Programs
Kent Elementary School Plants Apple Orchard to Study Science and Nutrition
Berkeley, CA Green With Envy Over Kent’s Healthy Kids and Wants an Orchard Too
Kent Schools Exceed New Government Guidelines for Healthy Eating
Aramark Apologizes for Delay: “Whoops Our Bad.” Gives Parents Nutrition Information Online
Kent Schools Eliminate Fryers in the Cafeteria, other Districts to Follow Lead
Local Mom Now Has More Time to Play With Dog; Poodle Thrilled Blog is Finished
Here’s some headlines I wish I could have been responsible for:
Super Donut Loses Super Status, Now Just a Crappy Donut
Nachos Grande: Demasiada grasa, calorías y Soduim
Elementary School Trash Dumpster Named in Honor of Gwen Rosenberg
Oprah Winfrey and George Will Share a Pitcher at Ray’s Place to Celebrate End of Letters about School Food
Aramark Requests Local Mom’s Recipe for Vegetarian Chili
I thought it would be fun if I invited the entire school district to meet me at Ray’s Place for a celebratory end of the blog drink tonight, May 1st. I plan on heading up there around 7:30 or so, and hanging around for a while. When I do get a sitter, I tend to stay out as late as I possibly can before she phones in a missing persons report. If I ever wrote you a letter, or mentioned you in this blog, stop by and let me buy you a beer or some other beverage. We can share some nachos, grande or not.
May 3, 2009 at 12:02 am |
Bye, thanks for the memories!