Good Teachers, Good Schools

On the day after we hear about this ginormous shortfall in the DISD budget that nobody knew about until now, there's bound to be more naysayers about the district. It's sad that a few career bureaucrats managed to screw up so badly, again, at the expense of thousands of children who depend on them. That being said, I thought I'd go all warm and fuzzy by talking about great teachers and schools. After all, it's not teachers balancing this budget - and maybe it would be different if they did. After all, teachers don't make much for the enormous service they provide, and must be masters at crafting a livelihood out of that pay. So this thread is not for diatribes about DISD, or public schools, or anything else. I just want to know this: What teacher had the most impact on your life? How? I'll start. Although Mrs. Kaundart and Ms. Hays were my journalism teachers in junior high and high school, respectively, the teacher that had the most to do with what I do for a living is Mrs. Kropinicki, my fourth grade English teacher at Converse Elementary. She had us write for public consumption - my first taste of such a thing. As a fourth grader, it is no small thing to have something you've written read aloud to your classmates. You're risking social suicide if it is bad or worse - lame. But one day, the assignment was to write a short story. Mine was about a boy who hated broccoli, and when his mother wasn't looking, sneakily tossed his in the garbage. But the broccoli came back to haunt him, showing up at his desk while he did his homework, his bathroom sink while he brushed his teeth, on his pillow as he tried to sleep, mocking him and chatting with him about why the boy threw him away. I turned my assignment in the next day. The day after, Mrs. Kropinicki handed them back - every short story but mine. Mine, she said, would be read aloud to the class. I felt like vomiting. Or dying. Or vomiting and dying. But as she read it, an amazing thing happened. My classmates laughed in all the right places. My humorous short story had the entire class laughing loudly, and this rush came over me. I was hooked. This - writing well enough to connect with people, to evoke some kind of emotion - was what I wanted to do. Forever. So thanks, Mrs. Kropinicki. While later teachers helped me hone my craft, you helped me find it.

Can I Vote This Guy for President?

This guy. Enough said.

Dear People Whose Names Sound Like Pod Flerher and Fey Marrison:

Can we compare academically acceptable Potemkin Villages sometime? Yes, I know that certain schools in DISD are in dire need of help - but tarring the entire district full of teachers and schools working hard to do well is not helpful. Suburb life is fine for some, sure. And there's nothing wrong with it - but why mock and deride those who are interested in helping their school district instead of harming? For instance, sure Louisa Meyer is an indefatigable supporter of DISD. She's also been volunteering her time far longer than her husband has been involved with the district. The thing is, the people I talk to who have chosen to have their children go to public school in Dallas educated themselves about the district. They made a point of choosing residences that put them near the best schooling situation for their child or children, and are involved in the education of that child. But really - who are you helping? Maybe this situation is not immediately your problem - your children are not in DISD. But you will have to work with the graduates of this district. They'll be performing your prostate surgeries, bringing your food to the table at your favorite restaurant, fixing the brakes on your car and - possibly, if the vitriol and unhelpfulness of the adults now doesn't make the profession completely unattractive - teaching your grandchildren. So maybe the problems DISD faces are everyone's problem, and my grandmother's oft-repeated instruction is true: If you can't say anything nice, just don't say anything at all. And maybe, just maybe, people in glass Potemkin Villages shouldn't throw stones.