Timmy and the Blue Whale Party

Let's go back in time.

Back in the fall of 1985 I was a student at one of SUNY's finer institutions of learning. I was 21 at the time and the floor of my dorm was all guys. So one can imagine the debauchery and alcohol consumption was pretty nice.

I remember the first night well on that floor. We had a party in Henry and Abdul's room. Nothing much, just beer and about 20 guests. The only problem was, that at the time if you were serving alcohol in your room, the rule was there were to be no more than 8 people in the room. Unfortunately, we all got busted by Timmy the resident assistant on patrol that night.

We tried to plead our case to the resident director. We told him that when Timmy popped his head in the suite no one was actually drinking beer. The RD countered with that while that might be true, how else can we explain the 200 empties of Labatt's, Blatz, and Stroh's strewn about.

We all got disciplined. Letters or whatever. But we were warned. It was not to happen again. Not a problem. We were going to toe the line.

Later that fall semester some of the guys decided to have a Blue Whale party. A Blue Whale was like a blue Kamakaze and you would put a plastic liner in a garbage can, mix the drink and serve.

That night I was out on a date, or at the school's tavern, when I came back to the dorm. There were already 8 people in the room and I just stopped by to say hello having already consumed copious amounts of beer that night.

 I never entered the room at all. I was standing in the door, my toes not even in the room. I was just shooting the shit with the guys when all of the sudden Timmy the RA popped his head in. "You're all busted," he shouted at us. We couldn't believe it. Where did Timmy come from?

Apparently Timmy, whilst on his patrol, heard us through the closed door of the suite. He opened the door quite silently and pounced. We had one too many, that being me, people in the room with booze being avaialble. We were up the proverbial shit's creek.

A week or so later we all had to face some dorm hearing justice before a board of inquisitors. We were thisclose to getting kicked out of the dorm. I never worried for just before the hearing I delivered a pizza to the a RD, who was to be on the hearing committee, at another dorm. Since he thought our RD was a dick, the fix was in. We all got super secret probation and that was it.

The reason I write this is the "gotcha" assholery of Timmy reminds me too much of what we see from administrators in the DOE today. Timmy was drunk with power, as are the administrators we deal with each and every day in our schools, especially one's that feel they can LEAD as Friends of Irma.

These so called "LEADers" are Timmy. Nothing more than inept LEADers who wish that they can truly lead. Since they lack any qualities, any morals, any independent thought, they can only rule by the machinations of those controlling their strings from above.

These LEADers fail to look at themselves in the mirror and see that they might be the problem, that their lack of leadership skills must be what is damaging a school. As with Timmy, these LEADers have zero self worth and by only rigidly thinking that they know it all, that by not listening to other opinions, other voices, other points of view, they can only move a school in one direction, into the crapper.

These LEADers, like Timmy will be your friend, act as if they are concerned about you, but in the end, they will lull you into a false sense of security and when they can, when you least expect it, pounce on you and do what they can to ruin you. These LEADers are sheeps in wolves clothing, a trojan horse.

But what to be done? I took care of Timmy and the bad ass RD in our dorm. The fix was in. I stuck up for my friends in my dorm. Teachers in each school with these Friends of Irma, these LEADers must fight, must stand up not only for themselves, but for each teacher in their school.

In true unity, can we subvert the bogus Unity that only hides it's head in the sand.

The NYC DOE Discipline Code Is A Joke and a Disservice to Students

Bear with me while I get to my opinion about today's revelation in the Daily News that the discipline code as been watered down. You'll see what I am getting at.

When I was a junior in high school, in the middle of math class I asked Mr Costa if he had any naked photos of his wife. After he "harumphed" several times, I then blurted out if he wished to buy some. That got me a week's detention. It kind of made a point with me, but with Mr Costa being such a dick, I continued to be the class wise ass.

That same year in science class, Ms Amy the teacher was busting my chops about something. I muttered under my breath, "Jesus Christ." She looked at me and told me that for cursing in class I just earned a week's detention. Being Jewish and failing to understand how I had cursed I muttered those two magic words again. Snap, two weeks detention. I never uttered those words again.

In my sophomore year I had a real tool for geometry, Mr Frigo. Frigo was of German descent and that previous summer I learned a German word from a camp counselor, "scheistkopf" (shithead). I raised my hand one day in class while he was teaching us about right angles and asked if he knew what a scheistkopf is, He said yes, and I gave him a glaring look letting him know that I thought he was one. That was the final straw and I was thrown out of the class permanently and transferred to someone else.

My senior year I decided to cut classes. A lot. The protocol at my school was to announce the names of the students who had cut the previous day during the morning announcements and to have those students report to Mr Deitch, the AP. It would take me about a week or so (and in the meantime still blow off classes) to report to the AP's office where I would hear the speech that it is my senior year, that I mustn't cut, yada, yada, yada. I would say OK, and walk out of his office and blow off my next class. My parents were never notified, nothing ever happened, so why should I stop doing what I was doing?

My freshman year in high school during a morning free period a friend and I went out to the football field and under the bleachers smoked a joint. My next class was Algebra and came in completely baked. I couldn't shut my yap and I was acting weird. Nothing happened to me. I was to get baked again.

So today when I read that the DOE is now going to go soft on students that show;

"disorderly behavior,” such as smoking, gambling, swearing, lying to teachers and leaving school without permission, will get a slap on the wrist instead of their walking papers. Educators will now respond to such behavior with reprimands, parent conferences and lunchtime detentions."

Yes, in an elementary school we really do not need to worry about the smoking and gambling or leaving the school without permission. But we need to worry about the "runners," the students who run out of class, the students who run around the halls all day.

Reprimands don't work. Parent conferences can work, but it is up to the parent if they show, if they follow up with punishment at home or if they even care. Lunchtime detentions? Big deal. Especially in the winter if the kids do not go outside. In fact, who will be watching the students during lunchtime detentions?

Don't the vast majority of the students in the classroom who are not disruptive and are there to learn have a right to a education free of stress, of disruption, of unacceptable behavior?

But this dolt at the DOE, Margie Feinberg said; 

"....the new rules will keep kids who commit “low-level infractions” in class, where they can learn from their mistakes.

That is a laugher. Learn from their mistakes? Yeah, the News reports that;

Meanwhile, students who display “disruptive behavior,” such as disobeying teachers, pushing other kids, or vandalizing school property, can still be suspended.

So does this mean the very first time a student throws a chair across the room he will be suspended? The first time a 5th grader tells a teacher to "fuck off they will be suspended? The first time a 4th grader jabs a student with a pencil he will be suspended? No! Why? It's because principals do not want suspensions showing up on their watch. It is better to bury your head in the sand, sweep it under the rug, rather than deal with the issue.

Those instances I mentioned above about myself, looking back I wish I had some type of boundaries set by not only my parents, but the school as well. I too often was allowed to get away with stuff, never suffering any real consequences. I was never a troublemaker, just someone with a big mouth wish I loved to use.

As I wrote last month about the Happy Good Time Emotion Response Place and School, this liberal way of dealing with bad behavior will hurt the students in the long run.

Yes, I know how many of these students are hurting inside. How many of them come from real screwed up homes, families, situations. But we as educators are doing these students a disservice if we don't teach them life's lessons. If the bad behavior is enabled each and every student is being damaged. 

Yet, too often it is enabled. How can it be stopped? The parents of the students who are caught in the crossfire must stand up and fight for the rights of their children to be in a safe environment. Never in Scarsdale, or Roslyn, or Franklin Lakes will a student be allowed by the parents to disrupt the learning process. when my son was in 1st grade there was a very troubled student in the class. He threw pencils, cursed at the teacher, punched students. The parents of my son's class knew that a squeaky wheel gets oiled. Each instance was brought to the attention of the principal. The principal had a zero tolerance policy. The boy was suspended multiple times until finally the boy was removed from the school and sent to another school.

There must be a zero tolerance policy of discipline in the NYC DOE. Yes, of course there will be mitigating factors and those factors must be used in any decision of discipline, but the excuses must end, the parents must fight back against administrators who cover up, sweep under the rug such behavior.

When this happens, it will be a small, yet important step, to improving the school culture in NYC.

Back to School Supplies for Teachers

The beginning of the school year is almost here. Students and their parents are hitting Staples and Target to stock up the supplies that are on their lists. Teachers too are hitting the teacher supply stores as well.

But teachers need more than the markers, bulletin board parer, boarders, chart paper, maps, charts, etc.. for their classrooms and to be effective teachers. In this day and age of "gotcha," teachers need much more.

For the first time ever in the history of education, we here at SBSB, led by the Crack Team are publishing what teachers really need to prevent those "gotcha" moments.

First on the list is the ever ubiquitous yellow legal pad, only $1.99 for a three pack at Staples. This legal pad and an accompanying  ball point pens, only $7.99/dz,  will provide you with countless fun to take down notes with any administrator of your choosing while being lambasted and/or threatened.

Next up, for those that are more high tech and wish to leave no doubt at who is doing the "gotcha, the Crack Team recommends the Livescribe 4 GB Pulse Smartpen through Amazon for the low price of $113.09. With over 400 hours of recording time and a USB connection to your PC or Mac, have countless hours of fun recording and listening to those "gotcha" moments. Remember, in New York State it is legal to record a conversation as long as one of the participants gives permission (that being you!).

The next product comes with the official Crack Team seal of approval. For those that are just not satisfied with an audio recording, but rather would wish for a video recording as well, we recommend the Veho VCC-003-MUVI-BLK MUVI Micro digital camcorder for Action Sports/Surveillance for only $42.93 on Amazon. Yes, this little darling will be the belle of the ball in your attorney's office as you go back over your observation and see all the lies that were created about your lesson. Best thing is that this device is voice activated!

But, don't wait to retain the lawyer, starting at only $180/hr.

But don't count on the UFT. It has SOLD OUT.

If Only Christine Rubino Were a Cop in New York City

Geez, sorry for not blogging for a week. I was a single father last week and priorities took precedence.

I wanted to blog this past Friday about a seeming hypocrisy coming from not only Uncle Mike, but from the New York media, especially the Daily News.

On Thursday, the News reported that 17 police officers were disciplined for leaving disparaging comments on Facebook last year in regards to those that make up the crowd at your typical West Indian Day Parade.

Comments ran the gamut. From calling the revelers, "savages" and "animals," to the more crude, “Kill them all,” and our favorite here at SBSB;

"I say have the parade one more year and when they all gather drop a bomb and wipe them all out.”

We'll come back to that last comment in a moment, but first a few thoughts. Funny how the Daily News failed to mention the names or out any of the officers names that left such asinine remarks.

But, the Daily News had no problems in wishing and hoping that Christine Rubino will be fired and left holding the bag. In fact, let's take some of the Daily News' own words about Chrstine and change them around to reflect the outrage and horror that should be written about these cops.

You would think a cop who openly expresses loathing for the citizens they are supposed to protect and serve even to the point of wishing them dead is unfit for the NYPD.

 Not in New York, where rules, regulations, arbitrations and court decisions bar the NYPD  from bouncing virtually anyone short of an ax murderer nabbed with a bloody weapon.

 These were not jokes or momentary outbursts of exasperation after a tough day at the parade. These were expressions of a sneering attitude that is anathema to a healthy, productive police officer-citizen relationship. Would the cop we refuse to name go the extra mile to help a citizen of color in trouble? 

Yep, cops good, teachers bad. 

We here at SBSB call for the Daily News to name these police officers, none of which has been fired, but have been reprimanded with penalties; "Six cops were slapped with command disciplines and seven officers received lower levels of punishment, which included 'letters of instruction,'” Oh yeah, and 4 are facing departmental trials of misconduct. Hey, wait, is anyone blaming the PBA for this right of due process?

More appalling is why we do not know the name of the cop, his command, his entire personal history, that uttered these words on Facebook;

"I say have the parade one more year and when they all gather drop a bomb and wipe them all out.”

We here at SBSB see the hypocrisy bandied about because these PERPS are NYPD cops. We are sure that Christine Rubino would have wished to be treated as a cop. If she had, she would not be worrying about where her children;s next meal is coming from, if she will have a roof over the heads of her children, and if Santa will be coming on Christmas Day.

While on the subject of Christine Rubino, we at SBSB proudly present another exclusive, the transcript of Day 2 of the 3020a kangaroo hearing. 

Ms._Rubino-2

Lucy Calkins and a True Success Story of Writer's Workshop

Last Monday, the cult of Lucy Calkins and her Teacher's College reading and writing thingy was thoroughly eviscerated on these pages. However in the comments section one lackey defended TC and Lucy Calkins, and while we disagree with this anonymous commenter, we salute this person for bringing up a point that opposing viewpoints must be heard.

With this in mind, and in deference to the above mentioned commenter, we here at SBSB felt that is was not only important, but in the name of fair and balanced reporting, to show the other side of the story, the good work that Lucy Calkins has done with students in the NYC schools.

What better way to show that than inviting a guest blogger to SBSB to share with all how he learned to write through TC's Writer's Workshop model. Let's all give a warm SBSB welcome to Anthony a current freshman at CUNY. Anthony learned to write using the TC method and is proud of the progress he has made. Anthony, with just his words, just his mind, will show us all what Lucy Calkins and TC's Writer's Workshop has done for him. Anthony, we turn the blog over to you.

Thank Yu two the crak teem... It is nicce to bee herere on the blogg and ltting me hve a opprtonitee to right bout how i lrnered tooo wrrtte. Furst thing I wnt ti sai iz that f I liked to lrn to wrter using thwe woikshoppmoddle It lerndd me how two wrtre my felings.So lt me tll yu wy I lke tu wright.
i lke tu wright bcawse it make me fll lkie i cher felngs and my in my mynd.

SEcoN, i lrn frm a peeeeeer. not a tchr. I ws told two sai tht once and now I remmembber.

Tird, i gforget, buttt i know It is ggood tht i lrnd two wrrite.

Thank you so much Anthony for taking the time to share with not only us here at SBSB, but the world, the wonders of Lucy Calkins and her Writer's Workshop.We here at SBSB thank you, the teachers thank you, and so does all the students and parents of NYC thank you.

Christine Rubino Gets The Shaft

This will be the first of hopefully many documents from the files of the Christine Rubino case.

Tonight's inanity is how mediator Randi Lowitt and DOE "attorney" Jeffrey Gamils team up on Christine for not having an attorney at the opening of her hearing.

Long story short, Christine changed attorneys, as is her right, at the last minute. The arbitrator had no problem having a hearing without an attorney representing Christine, and the DOE "attorney" seemed to have no problem. Suffice it to say, why do felons have more rights than teachers? Why would a felon get a continuance if he or she changed attorneys, but not a teacher like Christine?

Read on;

Ms._Rubino-1

Lucy Calkins and Her Teacher's College Cult of Failure

Would you feed someone that has high cholesterol, or heart problems KFC's Double Down (bacon, cheese, sauce, between two pieces of chicken), mashed potatoes w/gravy, and a mashed potato bowl? No.

Would you throw someone who is drowning a cinder block instead of a life preserver? No.

So why is it that in chronically poverty stricken  areas of NYC, where students come into kindergarten lagging so far behind, where each day it is a struggle to learn, where they don't get support at home, why is it we as real educators continually get shoved down our throats the teachings of the cult of Teacher's College reading and writing crap, led by its supreme leader Lucy Calkins? A person that has never ever taught a day in her life.

The cult of TC is leading our students down a path towards ignorance and the inability to read. As one leading educator has shared with the Crack Team, "TC is making our children in NYC dumber than wood."

But what is it about TC that is so bad, so dangerous to the minds of our students? Simply put, the basic tenants of reading and writing are ignored.

Students do not learn any grammar, there are no writing mechanics to speak of. TC relies on independent work, even for the most left behind student.

With all this testing being foisted upon students and relying solely upon test scores to evaluate teachers, with an ELA tests that emphasizes, and states, spelling and grammar are paramount, TC provides none of the basics for the students to do well on the ELA exam.

Decoding, fluency, are lacking. TC offers no practice books to develop writing skills. Zero skills books. Teaching vocabulary is frowned upon as is spelling.

Our students are becoming illiterate and no one above the rank of "teacher" seems to care. This is the damage that TC's program is doing to our students, to our schools, to our communities, to children's futures.

We can not teach, and students can not learn, without the basics the same way a pitcher can't throw a fastball with out the basics, the same way a batter can't hit without the basics. As these children get older and they are reading to learn and not learning to read anymore where will there skills sets be to learn how to decode with words they don not know? These skills are vital to learn at a young age for they last a lifetime. I should know! From the ages of 4-9 I was in speech therapy for a major articulation issue. I remember in my 20's I was reading something aloud and had difficulty pronouncing a word. A friend of mine (who happened to be a speech therapist) told me that she could tell I was in speech therapy, that I was still using the skills I learned so many years earlier. Our students today are not acquiring any lasting skills.

Teacher's College can cost up to $1,600 a day, Surely, there are better ways for a school to spend their monies. More troubling is how anyone in their right mind in a position of leadership and decision making can allow the infiltration of the TC cult into a school. Schools are abandoning TC left and right, right and left. Ask yourself Lucy, how many schools in Westchester County get suckered by you? The only reason one implement TC is to go with the flow, to conform, to follow the leader. The mindless always follow the crowd.

As long as we are damaging the students, let's just feed them White Castle cheeseburgers, fries, and milk shakes at lunch. But there would be howls of protests if we do. Where are the same howls at those wishing and contributing to the demise of students by implementing Teacher's College's Reading and Writing Project. It is time to step up.

Does Bill Grundfest Love Collies?

Oh the last 24 hours has been fun. Last night, I wrote a response to Campbell Brown's WSJ column in which she has quoted RheeFirst sycophant Michael Loeb. Then today, failed writer, Bill Grundfest decided to chime in on what little he knows of the United States Constitution, the 14th Amendment, due process, and of course, education.

Originally I had wished to give Bill a public civics lesson on why government employees are afforded due process and private sector employees are not. But after discussing it with my cat, she informed me that the lesson would be way over Bill's head and that I was better off saving the lesson when school starts and to use it on a Kindergarten class come this September.

Now, you may ask, what is a Bill Grundfest? Bill, is a TV writer, producer, former 660 WNBC jock or whatever that suckles at the teat of Ben Austin, Steve Barr, and those deformers in Los Angeles. Let's not forget that Bill is friends with, and quite possibly roommates in the future, with Anthony Krinsky. Need we say more?

I had Bill on my radio show, in fact twice, a few years back, and I once wrote a rather stern, yet polite, blog post about how misguided he is. But there was something in my writings, that I did not recall nor put together until today.

Apparently, Bill is a teacher. Not just at his own for profit minded podcast "I can teach you how to write like me" place on the web, but also at UCLA as well. Wow, Bill is a teacher. Of course, the Crack Team wonders if Bill teaches writing, how does UCLA measure whether or not he is an effective teacher and what makes him so if he is.

However, the Crack Team has found it ironic that not only might Bill be part of another union (Bill is a member of the WGA), but since he works for a government entity in UCLA is he afforded the rights of due process?

Let's say for instance a big Hollywood star wants to take one of Bill's writing classes. Let's say, hmmm, Lassie is in his class. Now Lassie wants to write a screenplay. She feels that for some reason Bill is just the one do teacher her.

Since Lassie lacks fingers she can't type and is falling behind in class. Frustrated, she goes home and tells Timmy that Bill touched her inappropriately and called her a bitch. Timmy, and his mom, June Lockhart immediately go to the provost of UCLA and demand that Bill be terminated, if not criminally charged.

Thanks to the fact that Bill is afforded due process, a proper investigation is duly authorized. While being investigated, Bill though removed from the classroom, continues to receive his pay, and if a member of a union, is afforded representation at every step.

Soon, a hearing is held. Bill is allowed to not only allowed to confront the evidence and witnesses against him, but is allowed not only legal representation, but an unbiased arbiter to hear his case.

Soon Bill is exonerated. It comes out in the hearings that Lassie allowed herself to be knocked up by Butch the Bulldog from the Tom and Jerry cartoons and was ashamed and felt she had to claim that Bill was the father of her soon to be born pups.

Thanks to he United States Constitution, the 14th Amendment, and various other rights, Bill is a free man and not marked with the shame of having to marry Lassie.

Now, if Bill does not still understand why he was allowed the rights afforded all those that live in the USA, I can get a 5 year old to explain it to him next month.

E4E's Michael Loeb Enters Campbell Brown's Twilight Zone

A lot has been said in the last few days or so of CNN's Cambpell Brown, and wife of MichelleRheeFirst lackey Dan Senor, and her column in the Wall Street Journal claiming that teacher's unions, in particular the UFT, protects sexual predators. Nothing, we all know, could be further from the truth.

More disturbing is that a fellow teacher and UFT member (both terms used quite loosely) and Educators4Excllence bon vivant, Michael Loeb, without thinking, without any concern at the true nature of adult sexual predators decides to thoughtlessly and sycophantically speak out in support of, not only Campbell Brown, but of New York State Senator Stephen Saland's bill. A bill which will give final say so to the fate of teachers accused unjustly of predation to Chancellor Walcott which means it is actually Uncle Mike as the final arbiter.

Michael Loeb, a middle school teacher in the Bronx and UFT member, calls this a "horrible situation," telling me "if you keep these people in the classroom, you are demeaning our profession."

Really, Michael?  It demeans our profession? Wonderful how Michael states the obvious. Where was Michael when my wife as a young girl of 4-6 had a male friend of her family have her sit on his lap while he had an erection and had her rub back and forth until he ejaculated?  That is true sexual predation. Not what most of these accusations of been. A teacher making inappropriate and stupid comments, or a teacher being falsely accused of true sexual misconduct or sexual verbiage.

Michael Loeb still supports his union but says it "treats teachers like interchangeable widgets"—defending all teachers no matter what they have done.

Interchangeable widgets? 

The 14th amendment clearly and succinctly states;

nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Michael, do you have an issue with the United State Constitution? Do have a problem with the American way of life?

As much as this man hurt and damaged my wife, he is allowed the right to counsel, the right to trial, a right to face his accuser, the right to impartial jury, a right to appeal. My wife, nor I, can be judge, jury, and executioner. These are the ideals of this country. This is what we believe in, what teachers you work in believe, and what our union believes in. It is called due process. Learn it. Live it. Deal with it.

Michael, there is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man ...

Michael, what would happen one day, and I hope this day will never happen, that you are accused of something as heinous as molesting a child? What is it you would do?

a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity.

The first thing Michale would do is run, not walk, to the UFT. "Help me, please," will be your cry. "I didn't do it, I was railroaded, what I said was taken out of context, I was never there, etc..." Yes Michael would want that union there for him.

It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition,

If Michael got arrested, he would want to make sure he is in protective custody, he would want a union attorney, he would want DUE PROCESS.

and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge.

Even if Michael were not to be charged criminally he could still face termination through the 3020a process. Would Michael refuse a strong defense in his case? Would Michael, if exonerated or even if charges not fully founded accept the arbitrator's finding of a fine and being sent back to the classroom? Or would he ask the arbitrator to terminate him?

This is the dimension of imagination.

Would Michael acquiesce to the whim of Sock Puppet Walcott and Uncle Mike? Noooooooo. He would whine and moan and bitch like the little boy that he is . "No, not me, not me! I'm innocent!!!" Too bad Michael, you made your bed, the roosters have come home to roost. All you need is.....

Rod Serling to come out from behind a doorway to explain that a man who sucks up to to others, a man without any values, a man without any independent though, a man that conforms, a man that wishes to hurt others, will only find himself on the losing side in The Twilight Zone.

Be careful of what you wish Michael.

Lori Wheal Is Not Only a Master Teacher, But Master of Her Domain

The great teacher debate is on yet again. The New Teacher Project, which was created by Michelle Rhee, has come out with another slanted study that we are losing "great" teachers as the same rate as "bad" teachers. That being said, so what?

Of course before one can whistle the Ride of the Valkyries the sycophants got their marching orders and were out in full force parroting all the ed deform talking points on how we are not keeping "great" teachers, yet keeping the "bad" ones. So blah, blah, blah.....

Of course the New York Post came out this morning with a guest columnist by a self anointed, self righteous "great" teacher, rather a master teacher (is this a double entendre?) by the name of Lori Wheal.

Who is Lori Wheal? Lori Wheal was an ELA master bat, oops, teacher at MS 391 in the Bronx. She not only coached and mentored other teacher at MS 391, but gave professional development as well. Kudos Lori!

So what is Lori's lament...? I envisioned a long career helping countless children reach their potential and go on to accomplish great things. By all measures, I’m succeeding — but it’s no longer enough to sustain me in this profession. Next month, as teachers and students return to to MS 391 in The Bronx, I won’t be among them.

Boo-hoo, the tears are being shed for you. You can no longer stay on as a teacher? Why is that Lori? Are we telling the truth?

The decision to leave the classroom was among the most difficult I’ve ever made, but I feel like my career is stuck in neutral, with no clear path of advancement. 

 

Bullshit Lori, it was not difficult, in fact you have been planning it for years, right?

 

See what Lori doesn't want to admit is that she started at Pace University Law School in 2008 and graduated in 2010, while interning at Pace's Land Use Law Center from September 2009 – May 2010. Wait, if one graduates law school in 2 years while working full time that is pretty darn good, no? So how dedicated and  masterful a teacher was Lori? Did her students, school come first, or her law studies? Lori, just how did you do it? But I digress.

 

According to Lori's Twitter page, she is admitted to the New York State Bar in 2012. Seems Lori had her mind made up sometime ago where she would be working come September and it wasn't the Bronx.

But how does someone like Lori get to write a column for the New York Post...? As soon as I started reading I already knew, but my suspicions were soon confirmed; As a member of Educators 4 Excellence, a teacher-led organization, I was part of a team that recommended higher starting salaries, bonuses and career ladders so teachers could take on leadership positions in their schools.

So typical.

I know of, as well as knew of, many master teachers who didn't need nor desire a title or extra money to be a mentor, or a coach, or a guide to teachers. They led by example and put the school, the students, the community, and their colleagues first and their own aspiration second. Lori, you are not a master teacher, never were, and never will be. 

We here at SBSB wish you the best of luck in your new field of law. Please go into it with the same attitude you have as a teacher. You won't last long.