Too often our news headlines are full of bad news, discouraging news, complaints, and criticisms.  But today, I read an article in the Washington Post about George Mason's efforts to implement the new GI Bill with care and respect.  It was encouraging to read about people looking out for the needs and welfare of others, especially those as deserving as our military. The new GI Bill is designed to assist veterans in pursuing higher education.  The idea is that, once their service in the military is up, the veteran will chose an in-state public university to attend and the federal government will help foot the bill.  George Mason University takes it a couple of steps farther in employing a sort of liaison to help these new veteran-students navigate the paper-work and transition into the civilian education scene.  Reportedly, they also provide counseling services for those vets who may suffer from emotional issues relating to their wartime experiences. Isn't it great to read of people helping other people?  Education used to be about helping others learn but lately it has become more about numbers, scores, statistics, and other non-sense.  Not to complain or be naive, but wouldn't it be great if we could return to the simplicity of helping others learn?  Wouldn't it be great if we, as educators, could focus on the desire to make a positive impact on a student's life without the distraction of trying to achieve some arbitrarily determined score?  I think it's great that GMU is stepping up to help our veterans learn.