Michael Gross

It's actually difficult to know what anyone wants these days. Tastes seem to change so quickly nowadays depending on the latest blog. The latest Facebook page. Twitter is somewhat important in telling you what you should want.

When I was doing 'Family Ties,' I was not quite that mellow as a real father. In fact, my wife used to call me Captain Von Trapp from 'The Sound of Music.' I tended to be a little more authoritarian. I had been a very disciplined child myself, so I made the mistake of thinking one size fits all.

At first, 'Family Ties' seemed to just be a wonderful project of its time. These were the Reagan years, the new conservatism. Alex P. Keaton quickly became the Fonzie of the '80s, so it seemed very much a product of its time. But I soon began to realize that it went far beyond that. These great family shows transcend whatever time they are in.

At one point, my house was a school for autistic children. I opened up my doors to about 30 kids and their families at the time. I was turning into Mary Poppins because I had to do something for these kids who have nowhere to go. So my house was the school for two years.

We have an obligation and a responsibility to be investing in our students and our schools. We must make sure that people who have the grades, the desire and the will, but not the money, can still get the best education possible.