Reflections on Seeing The King Last Night in Port Chester, NY

My stream of consciousness about last night:

What many people do not know, is that Port Chester Middle School is actually in the Village of Rye
Brook. Rye Brook is one of the tonier areas of Westchester County. It even has a D'agastino's. But

more on Rye Brook later.

So there I was last night in Port Chester, #47 in line to speak. On one side of the dais, the so-called "educators"; The King, Meryl Tisch, and Regent Phillips. On the other side of the dais, the so-called "champions of the people," Assemblyman Steven Otis, State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assemblyman David Buchwald, Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow, and Assemblyman Tom Abinanti.

Senator Cousins addressed the audience. She shared how she represented such a diverse population. Her district goes from Yonkers to Scarsdale. And she then said something quite interesting.

"We need to know why there is such a big difference of achievement between the students in Yonkers and Scarsdale."

Really? I hope this was a rhetorical question, though I doubt it. It's obvious Senator Cousins. Email me and I will give you a hint.

But this is what I noticed.

Assemblyman Otis was taking copious notes at a furious pace.

Assemblyman Pretlow, though not taking notes truly looked interested and concerned.

Senator Cousins, eh.

Abinanti? Yeah, he looked interested.

The moderator from the Westchester County League of Women Voters was a big meanie. 

Regent Phillips, a friend who is a real mensch said he is a stand up guy.

The King looked like he was on a Blackberry most of the night, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I saw a pen moving in his hand.

Chancellor Tisch looked as if she was wondering how fast she can get herself to Saks over the state line in Greenwich once the forum ended.

Yvonne Gasperino is a great speaker and a force to be reckoned with.

As far as myself, I was a little too histrionic when I spoke, though the mean moderator was a meanie to me. I accused the three "educators" of never teaching. Oh, Regent Phillips, I apologize for lumping you with the two lunkheads you were sitting next to, but you still never taught.

I claimed that The King and Tisch are part of the billionaires club, though honorary members.

I shared with them how my son got 2's last year, yet still made honor roll, and had 4's and high 3's until last year.

I asked them how they can sleep with themselves and look in the mirror.

I really wanted to say, "The Revolution has begun," and raise my fist like they did in Mexico City.

But one thing kept gnawing at me.

While I saw a lot of educators; teachers, superintendents, board members, PTA members, principals, assistant principals, teacher's aides, paraprofessionals, one thing was truly missing.

Parents. Regular parents. I mean not parents like me who are in education, who wear two hats (educator and parent), but regular rank and file moms and dads. Not that there weren't any, but I don;t believe that made up even 10% of the speakers last night and probably less of the audience. Hey, I could be wrong, and if I am I apologize, but I am going just by my perception.

But here we were in Rye Brook actually, with Rye, and Purchase, and Harrison, and Larchmont right nearby and I was expecting more. More parents.

Yeah, I know the time was difficult, 4 PM, and the forum was kind of last minute (is it cynical of me to think that it was done this was on purpose?), but there should have been more, should have had much more local, true grass roots involvement there yesterday.

I hope the outrage is building in these communities. I hope the frustration is building. I hope people have had enough of a decisions that should be a local matter, such as their child's education being decided in Albany and Washington, will make them say enough is enough.

But from what I saw last night is The King is fully entrenched in what he believes in and won't budge unless Governor Andy tell him to. The King is butt naked of credibility right now and doesn't know how small he looks.

And as I said last night, there is, and never was, a education crisis. It was all manufactured by those that pull The King's strings.