Superiority Complex

Three years ago I was "found" by the English department chair at a public high school. Although I was technically not certified to teach, she "had a good feeling" about me and insisted that the principal interview me. He too found me awesome, and they employed me until I had to relocate.

Although I had been very new to teaching, it quickly became apparent that the English department chair was neither a good teacher nor a good leader. She only taught electives. She was absent frequently. She favored some members of the department over others and fostered a division within the department. She blatantly ignored others' gross incompetence.

I'm not sure when this type of behavior/work ethic began in her eight-year career, but it has only gotten worse during my stint in the district. This spring the administration had a long meeting with her regarding her professional behavior and asked for a letter of resignation. She came back a few days later and said she wouldn't resign, but would "try harder" next year.

And that was acceptable.

I have written multiple blogs exploiting the inefficiency and the incompetence that exists in America's educational system. Besides the detriment to the students, this type of leader (and those who allow her to continue to lead) are a detriment to teachers. During my three years there, I cannot recall a single thing I learned from this woman—even as a new teacher. Instead I learned to lean on other members of the department, one of whom, my wonderful friend Emily, became my unofficial mentor.

I have recently signed on to teach freshman comp with a four-year college in the New York Metro area. As with my first job, it appears I was given the chance to teach because of a good first impression with the director: he was the director of the same program at my alma mater, so my résumé caught his eye.

As a high school teacher, I compiled a research project manual that serves as a guide (Bible) to my students as they research, draft, and stylize their projects. I am quite proud of this document, and the director expresses praise for it as well. However, when I brought the Kinkos-bound document to his office this week, he in turn handed me the textbook the department would be using this semester: it had his name branded on the hardbound cover.

Always wary of proscribed texts (and the teachers who use them), I was hesitant to employ this text. Now that I am about halfway through reading, I realize that this is what I wish I could have written, and there are few things that I would change. For the first time in my (albeit short) professional career, I actually feel like my superior is superior.

I(heart)NY

Any New Yorker anywhere will refer to Manhattan as The City. Capitalized. Because really, what other city is there? This, of course, infuriates many non-natives who are jealous that they were not lucky enough to be born in a place that's on the map.

Somehow, it still caught me by surprise at how much New Yorkers simply adore the City. It's evident in the cliched-yet-beloved I(heart)NY tee shirts, self-proclaimed accolades, and Yankee Stadium-style lawn manicures. It's a love free of self-consciousness, as everyone else shares this fascination.

What surprises me more (somehow) is that I feel the same way. I had no idea how much I had missed New York until I came back. I have told my father, excitedly, in the past week that 1) a Mister Softee truck has a route through our development, and 2) there is a roach coach that sells egg creams. Honest to God, egg creams! I must be in New York! (He, a Washington Heights native, is filled with joy that his first born has returned home.)

Indeed I have.

True Love

While I was in the grocery store this week, I witnessed an eight-ish year old girl and her father interacting:
"Dad, I love you."
"I love you more."
"Yeah? Well I love you more than bacon."
"Really? More than bacon?"
"Well," she thought, "maybe as much as bacon."