Hang in there, Vinny

There are plenty of things that piss me off. And writing about them allows me to let off steam - hence the title of this blog.

Yes, our state governor is a portly bully who clearly was terrorized by a teacher as a kid - hence his vendetta against teachers.

Yes, our town council is run by some of the most myopic people the good Lord ever put on this Earth, cutting the school budget while having the nerve to say "but don't blame us for the cuts!!"

Yes, the North Koreans are nothing but a bunch of thugs who torpedo a South Korean ship and then threaten war "if there are repercussions". They pick a fight and then they threaten war??

Yes, Jerry Manuel has next to no clue as to how to make in-game decisions, despite seeming like a heck of a nice guy.

But in the big scheme of things, all of this is small potatoes. Will my salary be frozen or even cut? Probably. Will the North Koreans go to war with anyone and everyone? Probably not. Will Jerry Manuel get fired? Eventually (they all do, by the way).

Nothing here is terribly significant. But just recently so many of us who live in Edison were struck by a blow that really puts all of the bullshit of the world into perspective. The kind of thing that really does piss me off.

One of the nicest young men I've ever known - Vincent Desario - was walking along the street in Wildwood, New Jersey with his teammates after participating in a college golf tournament. One of the young men stumbled, Vinny laughed and the next thing you know, some bat-wielding, homeless, illegal immigrant stops his bike, gets off, and smashes Vinny's head in.

Why? Because he thought they were laughing at him.

Just like that, this young man's life has become irreparably harmed, not to mention the pain and suffering for his family and his friends, both near and far.

This young man is in a deep coma now while everyone, and I mean everyone I think I've ever known, is praying for the swelling in his brain to go down, for the infection in his lungs to clear up, and for Vinny to open his eyes and smile that winning smile again.

This young man has never harmed anyone. This young man pulled himself up and managed to graduate with honors from Middlesex County College, although his injuries prevented him and his family from being able to attend this graduation.

This young man is fighting for his life - literally.

That is reality. That's the really important news. That's what really matters in the here and now.

Governors come and go. Town councils come and go. Crazed dictators come and go. Mets managers come and go. But really great kids like Vinny - they come along once in a great while.

Hang in there, son. Don't give up. Keep fighting. And we'll keep believing. . .in miracles.

To be 12 again

I spent the better part of the day with my brothers and sister today. I wish I could say it was just another fun day with my family but it, unfortunately, wasn't. We were all together in a waiting room at the hospital while my dad underwent his second lung cancer surgery in 6 months.

I can't think of anything more nerve wracking or physically draining than spending hours waiting in a waiting room, even if it is comfortably furnished, waiting for word on the fate of a loved one. Thankfully, if only for 30 minutes or so, we got a respite today, and we owe it all to the blood bank. Or, to be more accurate, to the RN who runs the blood bank.

But first, I have to give credit where credit is due and when it comes to knowing your audience there is no better expert on this than a hospital. I mean, think about it - they know that people are going to be coming to visit their loved ones while they stay at the hospital. So what do they do? They put up a parking garage. Brilliant!!

And then, as if to say "see how smart we are!!", they CHARGE you to park there. Brilliant!! If they could only figure out how to charge a toll as you walk in and out, they'd have it made!

But it's not only money - no, not by a long shot. Because today I saw even more evidence that they really do know their audience - their CAPTIVE audience.

Which is why, as we sat waiting on word about my father, we were prime candidates for brilliant idea #2 - why just let people sit around watching TV when they could be sitting down and donating a pint of blood at the same time!! Holy crap!! Why didn't I think of that!

And so, that is what my brothers and I did this morning. And it was great! I mean, I could do without the pricking of the finger, the unbelievably personal questions and the needles. But the juice was good and the free pen was cool, but most of all, my brothers and I got to hang around and just cause good natured havoc in the blood bank - and the nurses really seemed to like it!

It was like being 12 again - everything was a competition. Who has the highest hemoglobin (Mike did). Who can fill a pint bag fastest (Sal won that one). Who has the highest blood pressure (Mike again, although I don't think that's one you want to win). We were like the white tornado, sweeping in, making bets, cracking jokes and generally keeping the staff in stitches (ooh, that's BAD hospital humor). I think they were truly disappointed when the three pints were collected and we were on our way again.

Which was really the sad part. Because for about 3o minutes, we were 12. And then, on the way back upstairs, we suddenly turned 37 again. And 43. And 46. And the reality that we were here, not to hang out and bleed for free pens and discounted lunches, but to hope that our dad was going to be alright. It was a somber moment, to be sure.

And later, when they came out and said what had to be said - some good news, some bad news - the reality that we are all getting older - sons, daughters, mothers, fathers - really hit for the first time in a long time.

But hey, we were 12 again today - if only for 30 minutes. And I wouldn't trade those 30 minutes for anything - except maybe the next time Dad can come along for the ride. I think he'd like that.

And they still don't get it

As I've mentioned before, I stupidly keep checking the comments that are posted with every article that bashes teachers and blames us for all of New Jersey's woes.

Came across this one this morning and, rather than paraphrasing, i thought I'd swipe it and post it here. Here's what this genius wrote:

"I love how all these teachers are claiming they teach bc they love it, they love the kids, its all about the kids....Really? Then how come they wouldnt agree to the 1 yr raise freeze??? When times are tough everyone has to tighten their belts including teachers. I get the whole "shaping young minds" thing but we all work hard, no ones job is more important then the next persons. The teachers should stop being so greedy!!!!"

Nearly fell off of my chair from laughter. Yes, teachers do love teaching and they do love kids. Believe me, if you don't this isn't a job, it's a sentence. But just because you love something doesn't mean you shouldn't get paid for doing it. Since when does being paid for a job make one "greedy?"

As best I can tell, Alex Rodriguez loves playing baseball. But I really don't think that he lets his love of the game cloud his judgment when it comes to making a living. Yes, he loves the game, but he still expects (and deserves) to be paid well to do it. And, coincidentally, he enjoys having a contract - a sort of security blanket, if you will. So do teachers.

I could go on and on about the various posts I see every day but to what end? Most of the public had no interest in ever becoming teachers - they knew that the pay generally sucked. So they went into private industry and did as well as they could. Several of us chose a different path - for me, it came AFTER my time in private industry.

For now, the tables are reversed - public service is more stable and secure than the private sector. But that will change again and when it does, I hope I'm the first to post on the various newspaper website bashing all the greedy private sector workers with their cushy 40 hour work weeks, their BMWs in the parking lot and their yearly bonuses.

And while I'm at it, maybe I'll tell Alex Rodriguez where to get off too.

Be careful what you wish for. . . .

And so the voters have spoken. In towns all across the state of New Jersey, including here in my town of Edison, voters have rejected school budgets just as the "jolly" fat man in Trenton asked.

So let the cutting begin. By my take, about 10,000 teachers will be unemployed come June 30. School programs from sports to kindergarten will be reduced or removed altogether. The arts in school will become mostly a memory for most.

The people will get what they asked for. Leaner schools, tighter budgets. They will also get more crime, lower property values and decreased academic achievement.

But, that will be the will of the people. And when things don't turn out as well as they thought, they will want to change it. Of course, by then, spending caps will have been enacted, the bright young teachers who are being let go will have moved on to other careers and their schools will be lightyears behind in technology and achievement.

I just can't wait for Mr. Prosecutor to start crying the blues over how the state unemployment fund is drying up too, now that 10,000 more people will be drawing on it. Who will catch the blame for that one, Mr. Governor? And how will you close that gap?

Stay tuned - the best is yet to come, I'm sure.

Shared sacrifice my a$$

So Governor Christie has been preaching about shared sacrifice. About how all New Jerseyans must suffer because the economy is so tough. About how, in his twisted mind, nobody should gain from anybody's loss (tell that to Goldman Sachs by the way!!). How those bastard teachers should burn in hell due to receiving pay raises and pensions as promised in legitimate collective bargaining agreements.

Shared sacrifice for all. . . except Governor Christie and his friends. Seems while he has been toiling feverishly, cutting budgets and turning school districts upside down, he has managed to increase his own payroll by $2 million. That's right - his executive staff is getting $2 million more than the governor he replaced.

What a complete load of crap this is. On the one hand we all must suffer - unless you are a friend of Christies, in which case you either get a tax cut (see Mrs. Christie and all others who make more than $400,000 per year) or a pay raise (see Mr. Christie's cabinet members, etc).

Seems like a double standard here, Mr. Christie. As painful as it is, I think it's time you looked in the mirror - there you will find the biggest impediment to a successful governorship - yourself.

What's Good for the Goose. . . .

Governor Christie of New Jersey delayed his budget announcement until March 16 of this year. On that day, he dropped the hammer (or should I say ax) on New Jersey's public schools, cutting nearly $1 billion in aid to those districts while sparing the richest New Jerseyans (including his wife) nearly $1 Billion in additional taxes.

This ridiculously large cut caused local school boards to scramble to prepare new budgets, primarily because while Mr. Christie's minions in Trenton were telegraphing to the local boards to expect 15% decreases, his cuts amounted to, in some cases, 4 times that much.

The scramble was because in New Jersey, we vote for our school budget this year on April 20. And with filing deadlines nearly 3 weeks before that, this late notice led to hasty cuts to the largest areas school superintendents and boards could find most immediately. In almost all cases, these cuts involved people. Large amounts of people.

The problem is that education is a service "business" - and anyone who knows a thing or two about business knows that service businesses rely on people. But unlike other businesses where things are "produced" (and thusly, when there are fewer people, fewer things are produced), education works backwards - it is the very "production" of things, namely kids, that keep the education "factories" - read as schools - humming.

And there is the disconnect - most businesses control their production. Education does not - the kids are produced whether there are service providers there to educate them or not. And state law does nothing to help, since it promises all of the products - the kids - a free public education. So just how is this going to get done with fewer educators??

Anyway, I digress. After the budget announcement, the local school boards banded together to ask our illustrious governor for a delay in the filing of budgets and the election. In fact, they asked that elections be forgotten for this year. While I don't think THAT request had a snowballs chance in hell of working, I DO think the request for an "extension" was reasonable - after all, hadn't the governor asked for and received an extension in the timing of his budget announcement?

So what is his response to this request? Of course, it's "NO". And so the scramble was on.

And now we are only 4 days away from the budget elections that promise to alter the face of the NJ Educational System more drastically than the invention of the hot lunch.

In the meantime, April 15 has come and gone and millions of Americans scrambled to turn in their tax returns on time. And, as has become the custom, most elected officials in the country set a good example and released their tax returns for all the public - their employers, after all - to see.

Except Mr. Christie - he filed. . . for an extension!!

You can't make this crap up. Only in America (or New Jersey) can a governor ask for an extension on his budget address (and get it), be asked for an extension on school budgets (and deny it) and then ask for an extension on his personal income tax (and get it). Only in America.

Mr. Christie - what's good for the goose, should be good for the gander. I guess you're the only one that doesn't see it that way.

To Hell with "posters" - here are the facts!!

I know I've written on this subject before, but I am still somewhat amazed and oftentimes dismayed at what I see written on message boards sponsored by reputable newspapers. I used to think a lot of people around me were crazy, but I never had any proof. Thanks to the message boards, it's been confirmed.

Time was, the only way to comment on the day's news was to write a letter to the editor. And there, presumably, someone with some degree of knowledge reviewed the letter and chose those that were the most pertinent and, perhaps, the best written. And then came the internet (do I blame Al Gore here??) and with it the rise of the great unwashed of journalism - the neighbor with a fast internet connection!!

Now anyone with even a moderate degree of technical ability can log on and leave posts that sometimes boggle the mind.

What has started this, again, has been the proliferation of news stories and commentaries about the rather Draconian budget cuts that our new (and hopefully one-term) governor Chris Christie has ordered - especially those aimed at education (check the profile - I'm a second-career teacher). These cuts are having drastic affects on districts all over the state - large and small, suburban and urban. And, as a result, teachers are going to lose their jobs and students will, in the long run, lose out. It's inevitable.

So all the "posters" have to say is, in a nutshell, "good for the teachers and good for the administrators and aren't they all overpaid and they should all rot in hell (OK - I added that one)...." And most of these comments are written in what I guess is a form of English, although not the form I try to teach my students. And it seems that many of these posters comment several times per article.

It's not even that the posts are mostly illiterate - it's that most of them are so grossly misinformed! It's as though the only thing they know about teachers they learned from "Welcome Back, Kotter" in the Seventies.

Here are the facts:

• all teachers aren't rich, but some who have survived the longest do make six-figure salaries;
• there are an awful lot of school buildings that are over a half-century old and behave like they are - leaky ceilings, worn floors, poor electrical systems, etc;
• teachers do get a pension after their service is done - but they also contribute to that pension to the tune of about 5.5% per year with no choice (unlike opt-in 401(k) plans in private business);
• the state hasn't fully funded the pension system in about 17 years but the teachers have;
• teachers get really good benefits but more and more of them are contributing to their benefit costs;
• teachers are surrounded by a few dozen sick kids per day, which means they get sick too;
• I get about $1.10 per day for supplies for my classroom - that comes to about 4-cents per kid per day;
• teachers are off July and August;
• teachers don't get paid during July and August;
• mortgages need to be paid during July and August;
• teachers pay property taxes and income taxes;
• unemployed people don't pay income taxes, nor do unemployed teachers;
• teachers don't work from bell-to-bell - they work around 10 hours per day during the school year;
• teachers don't get overtime;
• teachers don't get merit pay because nobody can figure out how to make that work;
• most teachers actually love what they do and wish the public would just let them teach and knock off all this nonsense;
• and finally, the only place you will see a beige computer is in an elementary school classroom - yes, they are that old.

Hey - all we did was see a good job and take it. We decided to work for a little less and hope for a pension at the end of the day. Most of us didn't even know about the health benefits thing when we started but I'll admit we do like it once we get it. And none of us have ever begrudged those who work in the private sector when things are going great and there was an abundance of paper millionaires - and we won't begrudge them in the future when things come roaring back and the paper millionaires are there again.

So to all of you posters who seem to have nothing but time on your hands, do one of two things. Either get a real job and contribute something to society or go back to school, take the classes, pass the test and become a teacher. Then you can see just how great life with two unpaid months off, no air conditioning in the summer, no heat in the winter and the need to pee on a set schedule can be.