Now here's a cool idea! A propane powered school bus. Blue Bird Corporation, one of the country's largest manufacturers of school buses, recently unveiled a propane powered bus. Saving energy is high on every school's list of priorities. If any of you have bought or are planning to buy one of these buses, let us all know your reactions. Things like payback time, running costs, initial outlay, financing will be of interest to your fellow readers.

Labor Day weekend affords one last lazy weekend of summer. Why not fix your favorite drink and relax with one of these books recommended by your colleagues? Enjoy!

Read Stereotype of Mathematical Inferiority Still Plagues Girls. I am so glad to see some concrete proof of something I have known since I was in high school. The girls in my algebra and trigonometry classes were brilliant at math. Scholars like Evelyn Bloomfield and Judy Shapiro were second to none. Why was that? Because of an extraordinary teacher we had called William Horsnall. 'Wild Bill' Horsnall was passionate about math. He saw it as a logical process and taught every one of his students to love and understand it as much as he did. That is the secret: a teacher who connects with all his students. He made us want to learn.

Deciphering Teacher Shortages by Dr. Jody Shelton, the Executive Director of the American Association of School Personnel Administrators, reveals a frustrating aspect of being a teacher: the lack or portability of teacher certification. You would think that a country like ours which purports to value education would make some attempt to make it easier for teachers to move from one state to another. But it doesn't. Private school teachers don't usually need certification to get a job but it is certainly encouraged. What do you think?