Brett Favre is going purple...

There are two things that happen in the fall. One is that school starts all over the country. This makes teachers and kids grumpy, but allows parents to breath a sigh of relief. The second that happens is that football season starts. Thank god that principals in schools across the country don't have to deal with the personalities of professional athletes. For example, Brett Favre, formerly of the Green Bay Packers decided to come out of retirement for a second time to play quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Can you imagine what it would be like to be a principal of a school where you had to massage the ego of all the "star" teachers?

The principal might have to call up his star math teacher, "Linus Calculus" to see if he's willing to commit to another year. "Linus, I understand you were thinking of hanging up the chalk. What's the deal."

"Well, you know how it is. Last year I strained my shoulder trying to draw a parabola. I really wasn't the same for the rest of the year." Sighing, Linus would say, "It would be great to lead one more group and make our way to the goal...."

"You mean better test results."

"No, I mean getting though to another summer."

"I'd like to offer you more to stay, but the front office has my hands tied," the principal says.

"What can you do for me?"

"You can use my bathroom in the Administration building."

"That's not a real offer. I could never make it to the administration building and back between passing periods."

"You're right," the principal agrees. "What do you suggest?"

"Think you could give me $12 million for next year?"

"Twelve million - Are you talking dollars?" After a pause, "That's more than we get for the entire school to teach 1500 kids. That includes all administrators, counselors, teachers, staff, maintenance workers, and the entire sports budget."

"So, what can you realistically offer?"

"Linus, I'm afraid that the only thing I can promise you this year is larger class sizes."

"Wow, that's not very promising. How come this guy who throws footballs around for a living gets $12 million, and I can't even afford to go to the games?"

"I can't say. All I can do if offer you the same deal you got last year. I'll give you your room back, but it'll still have the leak. Since we cut the budget, I'm also going to allow you to help out with the Academic Decathlon. If you take the State title, we'll pay for transportation via Greyhound."

"Who can pass that up," Linus finally says.

"Well, not a teacher. You don't make enough to save for an early retirement. You're stuck, bud."

So, there is a story of Fall with football and back to school coming to the fore. On one hand, a pro athlete is being coddled back into uniform so he can play a game for three or four months. For what that player (Brett Favre) is getting to play for one season with the Vikings, a high school could be run for an entire year. So, as you're cheering for your favorite football players this fall, remember that there are lots of unsung heroes that work in classrooms who can also use a pat on the back.