The Man Child World of Ruben Brosbe

No. Can't do it. Don't want to do it. Want to write about my son at baseball camp and how we should "judge" baseball instructors the same way they judge teachers. But, the force is to deep within me. The snarkiness, the sarcasm is oozing through my brain into my fingertips. My brain is telling me, "you know, admit it, you want to do this." I fight my brain. But the brain is just too controlling.

It's been 9 months since I have written about former, or current E4E Blog Monkey™ Ruben Brosbe. Yes, that ship sailed when the NYC DOE parted ways with him lat June and he somehow, someway, (perhaps he tithed his rabbi) got into the Harvard Graduate School of Education (It's one of the signs of the Apocalypse when HGSE sets the bar so, so, so low).

So with much trepidation and an eye on yet again debunking Ruben, I read his latest self serving blog post, "Asking Why Me?" 

It was too convoluted to get through without nausea induced attacks. I went back and forth, forth and back and decided that pointing out how child like Ruben's thinking is and yet again how self important Ruben is was not worth the trouble. That is until I read the comments section.

My pal, Rich, The Frustrated Teacher left a comment which I was surprised Ruben allowed to be posted. TFT wrote six simple words that so simply, yet so forcefully is the underlying issue with education. One that is lacking when we are compared to other countries;

Poverty is the problem. Not our schools.

Well said. Well thought out. But it is a fact. Sad, but a fact. Even after reading that comment I did not wish to write about Ruben. But he tasks me, he tasks me. I shall write about Ruben. I shall write about him around the schools of Nibia and 'round the Antares Maelstrom and 'round Perdition's flames before I stop writing about him.


Ruben, in his response to Rich blabbered; On a related note, this poverty v. schools debate is so tired, and is practically a crutch.

So tired? How is it so tired? I have never once in my 17 years of teaching once heard a teacher say that their students can't learn because of poverty. NEVER! I have heard teachers say that poverty makes their job more difficult. But never once have I heard it used as an excuse or a crutch.

Ruben drones on; HOWEVER, are we really going to pretend that our schools are serving all students, especially our poorest students and students of color, to the level they deserve?

No one is pretending. No one is is disagreeing. Oh, one thing before I continue the rant. Ruben, what about those students who are not of color and living in Appalachia? Where is your concern with these students? What about students on the Reservations? Yeah, I know, not glamorous enough going there.


But we talk about the level they deserve? Then why is it when they deserve such a high level of education your favorite mayor, the mayor who has broken bread with your hero Little Evan Stone, Uncle Mike does he can to cut the budgets of schools, cut the experienced teachers out of the  loop, and thinks that is best practice to hire a 28 year old principal that has never been in education before? Where is your outrage in this Ruben? 

Ruben offers up a life lesson; A final point, what exactly are we talking about when we say that poverty is to blame?

How would Ruben know about poverty? Ruben is a rich, white Jewish, boy from Northern California that grew up in opulence. On a starting teacher's salary is was able to live in a doorman building on the Upper East Side. If Ruben truly wished to get down, to see what the real world is like he could have lived on Melrose Ave and 153rd St. He chose not to. Ruben has never known want in his life. 


Ruben tries to show how smart he thinks he is; Poverty being a general term can be used to describe (or disguise) many other factors. Unless we are explicit in what we mean by poverty - lack of access to quality healthcare? parent's educational attainment? lack of employment opportunities? - I worry we may be missing the point.

Yes, I worry that not are you missing the point, you will never get it. Yes Ruben it is all those things and more. How about children having children? Being underemployed? Having to work 2 jobs just to keep a family's head above water? Damn, it is so many things. Just because you can't see it or touch it does not mean it does not have an affect on lives. 

Ruben shows his ignorance; But I won't agree that "poverty" is equivalent to a cap on a child's potential or some sort of death sentence meted out at birth. 

Dolt. Ruben, who says it is a death sentence? Where? Whom? Show us who says this. No it is not a death sentence, but it is like Governor Christie racing 100 meters against Usain Bolt. But the only way to fix poverty is to fix society, to give people jobs, for the oligarchy that this country is becoming to spread the wealth, for others to help others. To invest in our neighborhoods. To invest in ball fields. To invest in health care, dental care. I can go on and on.


Yeah, I can go on and on. But Ruben, is a dolt. Ruben needs to learn how the world operates and for once think for himself. Ruben is pathetic, a follower, and man-child with the inability to think for himself.

How Ruben got into HGSE is beyond me. How Ruben came about unable to get tenure at PS 310 in the Bronx and according to multiple sources at 310 was universally despised is understandable. Ruben has a desperate need to please those in authority to him. Sad and pathetic.