Today was my last school tour, and I think I’ve found my favorite public school. It’s been on my radar a while: Tony used to live around the corner when we were first dating; the architect for our remodel renovated it; and a friend who used to work for the school district was in charge of choosing its color palette, fixtures and furniture (L, it looks good!)

But I’d never been inside, met the principal, seen the students in action, nor any of the rest. It’s close to home, got a varied student population, involved parents, dedicated teachers — everything you want in your child’s first school. But what caught my attention was, amongst all the other fabulous student art, a series of little books stapled to the wall, produced by second graders, titled “If I Were In Charge of the World.” I opened one, expecting to find the predictable proclamations for world peace, ice cream every day, and the abolition of younger siblings.

No.

“If I were in charge of the world,” I read, “I’d cancel alligators.”

I just like the sheer brio of that statement.