Editor's Focus: Summer Breaks

Summer is a busy time for administrators and facility directors at schools and universities. Construction and repair programs are in full swing; plans are being finalized for the upcoming academic year; and buildings are being given a clean sweep in preparation for the influx of students. 

But summer shouldn’t be all work. Here is a look at some lighthearted news items happening in and around the world of education:

• McTeaching experiment. A former high school science teacher visiting schools across the country to promote healthy choices on behalf of McDonald’s abruptly stopped his tour. John Cisna claimed to lose 60 pounds eating only McDonald’s for six months. Pressure from educators led to his decision to stop. He will now only appear as a McDonald’s brand ambassador at internal and local community events.
• A future in law enforcement. A Massachusetts elementary-school-aged child dialed 911 to report his father had run a red light on the way to get the car washed. After speaking with the operator and apologizing, the father was said to be unsurprised when he learned of his 6-year-old son’s call. Looks like school administrators will have a built-in law-enforcement liaison this coming school year that can easily blend in with the new elementary class.
• Learners beware. It is common knowledge that learning does not just take place in the classroom. Visitors to the Los Angeles Zoo recently “learned” that not all instructional materials can be taken at face value. Knowledge-based signs posted at the zoo were actually fake signs placed by a comedian that provided plenty of misinformation. Among them: “America’s first president, George Washington, was actually 9 koalas stacked on top of each other.”
• Summer job (or not). Many students look for employment during the summer months while school is out. However, a Kentucky man illustrates how not to go about searching for a job. After filling out an application at a Chuck E. Cheese and returning later that day for an interview, the man told the manager he wanted to rob the restaurant. After the manager told the interviewee/robber that he didn’t have access to the safe, the man apologized, began to cry, and promptly left. 

Enjoy the remainder of your summer.