Regardless the colloquial use of the concept attitude, there is a rich and definitive body of research on as many as six conceptual and operational definitions of the construct.  One of the original constructs was the tripartite (3 part) notion of attitude.  Others look at beliefs as only the notion of an individual’s regions of acceptance/rejection in terms of the concept as a judgmental base.  To make a long story short I will ask a question.

Why on earth, would a school official allow a poster in his/her building that states, “Only Positive Attitudes Allowed Beyond This Point!?”  Attitudes in the true meaning of the construct should be used to predict subsequent behaviors, not as a guide to instruct youngsters that for some odd reason a positive attitude is richer or more meaningful than a negative attitude.  Should our students have positive attitudes toward gangs, alcohol, drugs and bullying?

The direction of an attitude, positive/negative, should not be the concern.  What we should be concerned with is the substance and nature of particular over-riding attitudes held by parents, students, staff, community, etc.  In the future when those in charge put up posters for general instruction/guidance it might be nice if they have a clue as to what the poster is actually saying.  In the grand scheme of things attitudes should be productive and instructive.  Silliness (ATT_silliness) and ignorance (ATT_ignorance) are two concepts concerning education that you should hold negative attitudes towards.

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The first day of school story was written in the trunk of my car. It was a fitting start to this new adventure I’m going on as an education reporter - video-making, blog-writing, online and wired.
Good times really, I tapped at my laptop and laughed at my notes in the parking lot.

I’d just spent the whole morning surrounded by cute kids at Vale Elementary. I’m a sap for the little ones. Vale’s first day was unlike any I’d been too. The families and children simply flowed through the school. No backups. No lost kids. Some tears, but not many. It all ran really smoothly like clockwork.

The principal credited volunteer parents, especially Sharon Hoffman, a one-woman “office” and welcoming committee for families on the first day.

Whatever makes kids buzz about, I think this lady has a secret tap. I tried to capture some of that energy with dialogue. This was an outtake:

“New Sketchers!” She jumped next to a little boy and pointed at his shoes. “I have new Sketchers too!”

First bell rang at 8:20 a.m. Editors set a 9:30 a.m. deadline so we can make the press by 10:30 a.m.

I wasn’t about to waste 15 precious minutes driving so I climbed into the cozy trunk of my Prius and plugged in the wireless interceptor into the Mactop. The story was sent with five minutes to spare.

All and all, first day was a great one: Cute kids, crisp fall morning, I’m on my laptop trying something new.

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