Thanks, but No Thanks

A telling sign of a good school is collaboration. How often do teachers get together to share ideas/frustrations/strategies? Or do they? I have been extremely lucky to land in a very collaborative school--because I wouldn't be as good of a teacher if I didn't have everyone's collective experience at my disposal to learn from. Any time I need advice, there are lots of people I could turn to. Sometimes I am just sharing a frustration and one of my colleagues will jump in with "You know what worked for me?".

And that's great. WHEN IT HAPPENS AT SCHOOL.

What I don't understand is why total strangers at the grocery store think it's perfectly appropriate to give me unsolicited advice on the food items I may or may not be buying. About a month ago, I was standing in the checkout line with garlic bread and "Ragu" spaghetti sauce. A random guy in front of me turns and says: "You know, I'm a chef [oh really?], and if you just add half a cup of sugar and a whole bay leaf in the sauce, it will taste really great--like it's homemade". I think I thanked him for the tip, but inwardly I was thinking NO WAY. Because I happen to like the pure and natural taste of "Ragu" sauce just the way it is, thank you very much.

Then, just today, I was looking in the frozen pie section and thinking of surprising Max with a pie in honor of Pi day (3/14, get it?), when all of a sudden, a woman comes up behind me and starts giving me her unsolicited advice. She was saying something about how to make a really easy pie with fruit, lemon juice, sugar, and corn starch. Regardless of the fact that I will probably try her recipe one day, what is it about me that compels people to share advice??