Our Own Dandy Don
Don Taylor was a medium height skinny kid who lived at the upper end of Farnsworth Avenue near Malmady Village, the temporary housing built for returning WW-II GIs. He had a great personality and a penchant for music so he took part in the famous Clairton High School Marching Band during the 1940s. He reflects on his days in the marching band and how what goes around comes around.
Says Taylor, "In 1946, the band was all set to parade up Miller Avenue but the person to carry the American flag was sick. Since I was undoubtedly the worst trombone player to ever play in the band, I volunteered to carry the flag. Sixty years later, CHS celebrated its 100th anniversary with a gigantic parade over a mile long walk from the school to the stadium. Among the participants were people from the past. Leading the parade and carrying the flag was the oldest participant -- yours truly and wearing the shako, plume and pants from 1946! Who would have thought when I was 16 that 60 years later I would have that same honor!"
Whatever Don did was done with flair – not the braggadocio kind, but the kind of flair that set him apart from the rest of the pack. And he was very loyal to his high school even after graduation. In fact, when he finished college, Don returned to Clairton to teach at his alma mater.
Don Taylor the band member became Mr. Taylor the teacher but he did not lose his flair. He became part of the history that he taught and soon was one of the most popular teachers at Clairton High School. It was a two-way street. Just as his students were inspired by and devoted to him, Mr. Taylor put every ounce of his knowledge and personality into his teaching. To this day, mention the name of a student and chances are he will be able to tell you that student’s strengths, what s/he did after graduation and where s/he sat in his classroom. Don Taylor continued to be an asset to CHS until his retirement and beyond. He’s been a tremendous supporter of academics and athletics at the school. But teaching at CHS was just his day job.
After the sun set Don would head out across Ravensburg Bridge and up 885 to the Community College of Allegheny County where he again became one of the favorite faculty members on the campus. Together (high school and college) he taught for nearly six decades, 44 of which were at Community College of Allegheny County. All together he reached some 10,000 students. He would reach them with his interesting lectures but also by getting into the characters about which he taught – literally. While serving as Chair of the department he assumed his teaching duties in uniform – he would sometimes dress as the characters of whom he taught and never failed to spice up his lectures with little-known factoids about figures and events. For example, when he lectured on the Old West and General George Armstrong Custer, “Two-gun Taylor” would don a Wyatt Earp vest, a Dodge City badge, cowboy hat and boots, and strap a replica Colt .45 Peacemaker to his hip.
Don felt ownership to CCAC as he and 16 others started the local campus using West Mifflin Middle School as their first venue. The following year the venue was changed to a condemned elementary school building in McKeesport and in 1973 moved to the current location in West Mifflin. Besides teaching and serving as an administrator, the professor wrote curriculum and prepared his own “Taylor Made” exams for his courses. Professor Mr. Taylor might have had 80 birthdays but his energy level and commitment to Clairton and education has never aged. Don Taylor, Clairton boy.
BEARS STILL SHINE: Bill Bennett played football at CHS and Rutgers and although he’s spend most of his adult life in California and Arizona, he remains close to CHS and the athletic program, particularly the academic side of the program. Bill arranged for a couple dozen CHS 1960 alumni to have a tailgate in the Hershey football field parking lot before the game. He was also a crucial component of getting the Bears to Dallas for their 7 on 7 victories. He recently sent me an email that included a 15-minute summary of the championship game done by Steeler media. Click on the link to enjoy: http://www.steelers.com/video-and-audio/videos/Youth-Football-in-Steelers-Country-Clairton-Bears/86b2e4ac-6f86-4569-8e7e-ff95f3745dea
GENEROSITY: Clairton High School has fundraisers each year. The monies generated go to help the school in every phase from academics, to extra curricular activities. Many blog readers and CHS Alumni have contributed in the past to assist their alma mater. This year Nanette Gordon (Lhromer) and Barry Lhromer presented the School District with a very generous donation to kick off 2012. Their gift will go toward sorely needed items. On behalf of the Clairton School District we thank the Lhromer family.
In case the name does not ring a bell, Archie Lohrmer ran the Busy Beaver business on State Street at the bottom of St. Clair Avenue that provided building materials. He was a business icon for many decades and a pillar of the community. It is great to see his family carry on the tradition. The Boosters and alumni have also helped in the past and continue with their generosity.
BROAD AGENDA: The Clairton Athletic Champions Club and the Athletic Booster Club met last week and discussed a variety of topics including championship rings for the football team. The team has really brought the community together and made all of us proud to see such positive focus on Clairton. To refresh your memory, the team has broken multiple records including having the longest winning streak (47) of any team in the country at any level – high school, college, or professional. A tip of the helmet to our guys and the guys, gals, and adults who support them. The Athletic Boosters and football parents do a tremendous job of supporting the Board and the players.
The Awards Banquet will take place this spring. A speaker is being contacted and I don’t want to spill the beans but my sources tell me it is somebody who is highly recognizable and it will be a coup to have this person address our Bears. Last year’s speaker, Bill Shay, an educator and the winningest coach in Western PA, delivered a moving speech that had many of the players on the edge of their seats.
GET YOUR CHS SWEATSHIRTS WHILE THEY LAST: Champion Sweatshirts are now available for $25 each (2X and 3X sizes are $30 each). A check or money order, made payable to the Clairton Athletic Champions Club or CACC, can be sent to Clairton Education Center, 501 Waddell Avenue, Clairton PA 15025, Attn: CACC. Any other questions about the sweatshirts can be addressed to Paulette Bradford; email at bradfordp@clairton.k12.pa.us. Visit the Clairton Bears Football Facebook page.
The trophies in the case will eventually tarnish, the sweatshirts will eventually fade but the memories that our players have created will live on for a lifetime.
A little blogging music Maestro… “Green Green Grass of Home,” by Tom Jones.
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
Showing posts with label teachers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teachers. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Sunday, July 10, 2011
If you can read this thank a teacher
Occasionally I cpome across something that is worth sharing. Today's blog is such an item. I wish Mrs. Bayless, Miss Chottiner, Mr. Balta, and all the teachers who played such an important role in my live, but who now are gone, could read this tribute to them. Read and enjoy.
By: David Reber
I’m going to step out of my usual third-person writing voice for a moment. As a parent I received a letter last week from the Kansas State Board of Education, informing me that my children’s school district had been placed on “improvement” status for failing to meet “adequate yearly progress” under the No Child Left Behind law.
I thought it ironic that our schools were judged inadequate by people who haven’t set foot in them, so I wrote a letter to my local newspaper. Predictably, my letter elicited a deluge of comments in the paper’s online forum. Many remarks came from armchair educators and anti-teacher, anti-public school evangelists quick to discredit anything I had to say under the rationale of “he’s a teacher.” What could a teacher possibly know about education?
Countless arguments used to denigrate public school teachers begin with the phrase “in what other profession….” and conclude with practically anything the anti-teacher pundits find offensive about public education. Due process and collective bargaining are favorite targets, as are the erroneous but tightly held beliefs that teachers are under-worked, over-paid (earning million-dollar pensions), and not accountable for anything.
In what other profession, indeed.
In what other profession are the licensed professionals considered the LEAST knowledgeable about the job? You seldom if ever hear “that guy couldn’t possibly know a thing about law enforcement – he’s a police officer”, or “she can’t be trusted talking about fire safety – she’s a firefighter.”
In what other profession is experience viewed as a liability rather than an asset? You won’t find a contractor advertising “choose me – I’ve never done this before”, and your doctor won’t recommend a surgeon on the basis of her “having very little experience with the procedure”.
In what other profession is the desire for competitive salary viewed as proof of callous indifference towards the job? You won’t hear many say “that lawyer charges a lot of money, she obviously doesn’t care about her clients”, or “that coach earns millions – clearly he doesn’t care about the team.”
But look around. You’ll find droves of armchair educators who summarily dismiss any statement about education when it comes from a teacher. Likewise, it’s easy to find politicians, pundits, and profiteers who refer to our veteran teachers as ineffective, overpriced “dead wood”. Only the rookies could possibly be any good, or worth the food-stamp-eligible starting salaries we pay them.
And if teachers dare ask for a raise, this is taken by many as clear evidence that teachers don’t give a porcupine’s posterior about kids. In fact, some say if teachers really cared about their students they would insist on earning LESS money.
If that entire attitude weren’t bad enough, what other profession is legally held to PERFECTION by 2014? Are police required to eliminate all crime? Are firefighters required to eliminate all fires? Are doctorsrequired to cure all patients? Are lawyers required to win all cases? Are coaches required to win all games? Of course they aren’t.
For no other profession do so many outsiders refuse to accept the realities of an imperfect world. Crime happens. Fire happens. Illness happens. As for lawyers and coaches, where there’s a winner there must also be a loser. People accept all these realities, until they apply to public education.
If a poverty-stricken, drug-addled meth-cooker burns down his house, suffers third degree burns, and then goes to jail; we don’t blame the police, fire department, doctors, and defense attorneys for his predicament. But if that kid doesn’t graduate high school, it’s clearly the teacher’s fault.
And if someone – anyone - tries to tell you otherwise; don’t listen. He must be a teacher.
By: David Reber
I’m going to step out of my usual third-person writing voice for a moment. As a parent I received a letter last week from the Kansas State Board of Education, informing me that my children’s school district had been placed on “improvement” status for failing to meet “adequate yearly progress” under the No Child Left Behind law.
I thought it ironic that our schools were judged inadequate by people who haven’t set foot in them, so I wrote a letter to my local newspaper. Predictably, my letter elicited a deluge of comments in the paper’s online forum. Many remarks came from armchair educators and anti-teacher, anti-public school evangelists quick to discredit anything I had to say under the rationale of “he’s a teacher.” What could a teacher possibly know about education?
Countless arguments used to denigrate public school teachers begin with the phrase “in what other profession….” and conclude with practically anything the anti-teacher pundits find offensive about public education. Due process and collective bargaining are favorite targets, as are the erroneous but tightly held beliefs that teachers are under-worked, over-paid (earning million-dollar pensions), and not accountable for anything.
In what other profession, indeed.
In what other profession are the licensed professionals considered the LEAST knowledgeable about the job? You seldom if ever hear “that guy couldn’t possibly know a thing about law enforcement – he’s a police officer”, or “she can’t be trusted talking about fire safety – she’s a firefighter.”
In what other profession is experience viewed as a liability rather than an asset? You won’t find a contractor advertising “choose me – I’ve never done this before”, and your doctor won’t recommend a surgeon on the basis of her “having very little experience with the procedure”.
In what other profession is the desire for competitive salary viewed as proof of callous indifference towards the job? You won’t hear many say “that lawyer charges a lot of money, she obviously doesn’t care about her clients”, or “that coach earns millions – clearly he doesn’t care about the team.”
But look around. You’ll find droves of armchair educators who summarily dismiss any statement about education when it comes from a teacher. Likewise, it’s easy to find politicians, pundits, and profiteers who refer to our veteran teachers as ineffective, overpriced “dead wood”. Only the rookies could possibly be any good, or worth the food-stamp-eligible starting salaries we pay them.
And if teachers dare ask for a raise, this is taken by many as clear evidence that teachers don’t give a porcupine’s posterior about kids. In fact, some say if teachers really cared about their students they would insist on earning LESS money.
If that entire attitude weren’t bad enough, what other profession is legally held to PERFECTION by 2014? Are police required to eliminate all crime? Are firefighters required to eliminate all fires? Are doctorsrequired to cure all patients? Are lawyers required to win all cases? Are coaches required to win all games? Of course they aren’t.
For no other profession do so many outsiders refuse to accept the realities of an imperfect world. Crime happens. Fire happens. Illness happens. As for lawyers and coaches, where there’s a winner there must also be a loser. People accept all these realities, until they apply to public education.
If a poverty-stricken, drug-addled meth-cooker burns down his house, suffers third degree burns, and then goes to jail; we don’t blame the police, fire department, doctors, and defense attorneys for his predicament. But if that kid doesn’t graduate high school, it’s clearly the teacher’s fault.
And if someone – anyone - tries to tell you otherwise; don’t listen. He must be a teacher.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Las Vegas Happenings
Snippets of Events
Ride 'em Cowboy: Plenty of goings on to celebrate the Valley of the Dollars this week. Pickup trucks have replaced limos as the primary means of transport among attendees of the National Finals Rodeo events. Of course, bucking broncos, Brahma bulls, and bareback steeds are among the means of transportation inside the Thomas and Mack Center, although some of the rides have been briefer than the cowboys had hoped. Wearers of huge silver belt buckles and their posses will have pumped more than fifty million smackeroos into the local economy during their stay. Yeeee-haw!
Palazzo Lallapalooza: One thing hotels and casinos do really really well is market. "Marketing idea of the season" goes to the Las Vegas Sands Corp. that decided to merge swinging hips with rose hips and enter a float for their Palazzo Hotel in this year's January Rose Parade. Never heard of the Palazzo hotel you say? That's why it is so brilliant! The $ 1.8 billion hotel will announce its opening to 40 million television viewers who watch the parade. The float will also show off the Palazzo's sister hotel, the Las Vegas Venetian. A brilliant idea by any other name doth smell as sweet.
Teaching is Taxing: Everybody knows that teachers are overworked and underpaid. Nowhere is that so evident as in Las Vegas. Reading, writing, and 'rithmatic may be taught to the tune of the hickory stick, but teachers need salary to pay for their cups of joe and celery. Each school year starts with thousands of teaching positions absent licensed teachers in large part due to poor salaries. The teacher's union did its homework and decided the gaming industry had not contributed its fair share of taxes. It hopes to send a discipline slip to the voters that will increase gaming taxes to pay for education.
Casino Execs Disrupt Classes: In junior high school many a fight has been started by talking about somebody's mother. In Nevada, fights start by talking about raising gaming taxes. Several big guns who collectively are building $ 14 billion worth of new resorts have told the teachers union, "Don't paddle my canoe." They are willing to write 100 times on the chalkboard, "We will not pay higher gaming taxes." The proposed 3% increase is not the new math gamers want to calculate. They want educators to look for the jackpot in another classroom.
Las Vegas Sings "O Solar Mio:" The Valley of the Dollars boasts more than 350 sunny days per year yet it continues to use the falling levels of the Colorado River, Hoover Dam, and Lake Mead as its primary source of energy. That's where the water turns the turbines that create electricity. With all the sun shining over the valley, developing solar energy resources seems to be a no-brainer. That's exactly what the solar company Ausra of Palo Alto, CA thought when it decided to build a huge solar thermal assembly plant in Las Vegas. The company makes solar power collectors. Las Vegas has as much solar power as anywhere else.
With that we will end today's blog. Maestro, how about a little blogging music.... lets do, "You Are My Sunshine."
Dr. Forgot
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