TV Interview



Mention strawberries to me and I will immediately think of that pretty red fruit I don't much like, unless of course it is blended with lots of ice and tequila.  But, when a local paper had a 50% off coupon for Darryl Strawberry's Grill in Douglaston, I bought one right away.  My husband loves their burgers, they make a mean one with veggies and, if you get there during happy hour, beers are only $2.00 a piece.

I am ashamed to admit that I know as much about baseball as Bloomberg and Black know about education, but that didn't stop me from talking to the reporter who asked me what I would do if I could buy the Mets.  Without hesitation, I said, "I would give them to Bloomberg so he could fix them like he fixed the schools in New York. since he is an expert on everything."  I got my Black and Bloomberg dig out!  I happened to be wearing my Packemin union sweatshirt at the time.  The guy loved my answer and told me I would be on the air.  Unfortunately I don't get the cable station it will appear on but he promised to send me a link when it is up online.  I'll post it on the private blog.

(Strawberry was supposed to make an appearance but we didn't hang around.  I wait for no man!)

It's been a long week that ended with dinner in a very noisy bar but this one little segment made the week for me.

Even The Kids Notice

Quite a few of my students were at the big science fair at the Museum Of Natural History.  They met Obama and were impressed with his speech and the attention he gave many of the exhibitors. 

They told me Bloomberg is short and noticed him not shaking any hands.  They also noticed Cathie Black's short speech and her quick dart to the exit.  The kids said she had her bag over her shoulder and her feet in the direction of the door while the microphone was still in her hand.

Once again our education mayor and the chancellor are showing their respect and concern for the children of NYC.

The Celebration Cathie and Michael Missed

I was glad I went to the Saturday session of the Celebration of Teaching and Learning.  I got lots of great freebees--enough hand sanitizers, pens, pencils and erasers to last until the end of my career.  I got tee shirts and post-its, key chains and notebooks.  Best of all, I got a flashmaster, a little hand held computer that drills basic arithmetic facts in a really fun way.  You might think, teaching high school, I don't need this, but you are wrong.

I didn't bother going to most of the workshops and lectures.  Spending my weekend listening to that stuff held no appeal.  I did go to the Town Hall meeting with Michael Mulgrew (got my ticket though a UFT contest writing an essay about effective teaching) and I got to speak!  I got to speak out about how Value-added evaluation will pit teacher against teacher and how I am a 36 year veteran teacher, still going strong.  The crowd seemed to love my comments, but I don't have much faith in any difference they will make.  The only other session I went to was one with Dr. Oz.  I refused to wait on line to see him, so I sat all the way on the side.  I didn't mind watching on the big screen since I'm not a fan.  (I never saw him before.)

I didn't notice Cathie Black or Michael Bloomberg anywhere on the progam, which seemed kind of strange to me.  You would think, the Education Mayor and the Chancellor would definitely be key note speakers at a conference hosted in the city they represent.  Could it be that people who celebrate learning see how education has been harmed under their leadership?  It is probably a good thing they didn't show up.  I bet they would have grabbed all the samples and left none for the people who need them.