Bob Durkin
I went to Bob Durkin's funeral last weekend. I have been trying to figure out what he meant to me. I know when I heard that he was dying it really hit me. Part of the reason was that he was only one year older than me. But I think part of the reason was that he was a significant person in my life. I am trying to figure out why.
One of the things Bob did, was he inspired a bunch of people. He also had a bunch of people who couldn't stand him. I was friends with both groups of people.
Bob Durkin never slowed down. It was always full speed ahead with him. He wrote large grants, he courted business partners, and there was a steady stream of visitors to our school. Working for him made you feel as if you were in the center of the education universe. This was an exciting place to be.
On Bob's casket was the sign that was on his desk, "It is all about the kids". I think that this was always true. I know that Bob would go to the crack house in the neighborhood to drag students out. I remember the day when a girls father was getting out of jail. ACS was going to send the kid back to her father, even though he was abusing her. Bob spent the evening on the phone trying to save this girl. I think he would have called the president if he knew his number. He would not give up until he had solved this problem. He really did care deeply about the kids.
I don't think Bob had a happy childhood. I suspect that he found it difficult to have fun with his kids. Every year I would have a fight with Bob over taking kids to Great Adventure for Physics Day. The first year Bob ignored my trip because he was sure that the superintendent wouldn't approve the trip. It was approved after I convinced the superintendent that the Board of Ed. approved of this trip. The next year Bob convinced the superintendent to say no and I appealed. The trip was approved as the Buses were parked outside. Bob was livid. I think that what bothered him the most was the fun aspect of the trip. I think Bob had a hard time with fun.
Bob did things his way. He believed, as I do, that good teachers make a good school. He worked really hard to get rid of bad teachers. He did this before it was something the Board of Ed. approved of. This may have been the beginning of the superintendent hating him. What I think happened sometimes with the superintendent is that Bob was willing to do his job and he wanted the superintendent's office to do its job. All they wanted to do is keep peace. I don't think Bob ever thought of his job as keeping peace.
The UFT hated Bob Durkin. They hated him so much that they probably still hate him. They did everything they could to get rid of him. They hated him because he kept asking teachers to do their jobs. They hated him because he did not believe in the game of shuffling bad teachers around the system. He wanted to get rid of them. Some of their complaints were valid. He was often heavy handed when he didn't have to be. He had some people he hated and he went after them with a vengeance. Some of the people he went after were not bad teachers, they were just not the type of teacher Bob liked. He should have known to back off sometimes. That said, the hatred of the UFT was way beyond rational.
Bob was always in the middle of things. He was a star, but he could have been a superstar. He blew some great chances. He pushed the idea of turning a large high school into houses. He inspired some of the Ap's to think of themselves as mini-principals. People came from overseas to visit us. He could have turned the school into mini schools with bunch of principals with Bob as a quasi-superintendent. I feel that if he had made that move he would have become known all over the country. He could have spent the next few years giving speeches around the country. But he couldn't give up the power. I think he was afraid of not having enough to do or enough control. This may have been his fatal flaw.
Bob was the first principal I knew who understood statistics. He collected them and he used them to make decisions. He was the first person to show me the incredible differences between good and bad teachers. He pulled statistics on how many kids good teachers passed (always more than bad teachers) and how many kids passed Regents tests (always dramatically more than bad teachers).
The bottom line about Bob is that he always felt he could solve the problem of urban education. He believed he could succeed and he inspired people around him to believe they could succeed. He believed kids could succeed and he created a school that encouraged that.
I assume the current principal did not go to the viewing. I am certainly glad I did not see her there. I think it would have been more than I could have borne. I think I need to come back to this again in a month or so.
8 comments:
Your friend Bob Durkin sounds like he was one of those mean nasty arrogant tyrannical principals who do what they do to teachers because they can. Perhaps he wrote teachers up for not having their window shades 1/2" above the sill. He sounds like a bully who would try to intimidate teachers who didn't agree with him on some level. I'm glad he cared so much about the kids, but he didn't sound that empathetic to me. I didn't have such a great child hood either, but I'm no bully....I like to be part of the solution, not part of the problem like your friend.
He tried, and frquently succeeded, to ruin careers for the sake of his personal goals and needs (and I would imagine he thought "for the kids"). That is not leadership. That is self-serving tyranny. Petty tyranny. Klein would have liked "Bob Durkin".
To the January 7, 2008, 9:51 PM poster:
Were you given any reason for being placed into the rubber room? Were your remarks considered "verbal abuse"? When a student said, "I can get you fired," the response should have been a nonchalant, "Go right ahead! Whatever!" The class will laugh, and the student will back off. Works every time!
1st anon to 4th anon
You must be a new teacher, or you must teach at a decent school. Some of us teach in the real world. The real world where some students make this threat on an almost daily basis. In the real world you complain about a kid like this and your a.p. says something like "yeah, so-and-so can be difficult. Don't worry we're trying to get her ______ in here." Meanwhile, I checked this kids record and the thing was like a phone book. It was full of allegations against teachers, students, the cafeteria ladies. The whole thing is almost laughable. Of course I'm not in the rubber room for that incident, it was the incident that set the ball rolling. Don't get me wrong, if you've not had to endure these types of working conditions bully for you. Me, I'm the idiot that taught at the school that slowly went downhill.
To the 1st anon:
It sounds like you're not only fairly jaded because you got fucked over, but more than that you're a tad blinded by anger. Maybe you focused on the part about him being needlessly heavy-handed at times, but I focused on the fact that first and foremost he tried to consistently rid the school of bad teachers. Now, I'm sure that the rebuttal to that is something along the lines of "Well, who is to say who is a bad teacher and who is a good teacher?", and to respond right now- if you don't know the answer to that then maybe you should consider which category you fit into.
This post wasn't about praising a tyrant, it was about recognizing that even someone who did things that were not agreed with in life should still be celebrated and acknowledged in death for the things he did that really were in the best interests of the ones who count- which ultimately only includes the teachers, administrators, etc., about 25% of the time. "Liked" and "Right" are not mutually exclusive terms, much as we'd like them to be sometimes. It's not everyone's job to be your best friend, especially if they're in a position where they honestly feel that they need to make a tough decision at the sacrifice of favor.
Now, maybe I'm wrong about your situation specifically, but I'm speaking in general terms here. Administrators are put in charge so that they can keep a close eye on the teachers and the students for the ultimate benefit of the students, not so that they can keep a close eye on the students for the ultimate benefit of the teachers. You're an adult, for god's sake- why should it be so hard to outsmart, shrug off, or ignore a more rebellious student when he/she is acting up?
Besides that, can't you see that some people prefer to have respect for the dead? Maybe you'll be dancing on your principals grave instead of dropping your vendetta and acknowledging him/her for the good things they did, but just because that's not what this post was about doesn't make Ed an idiot.
I'm sure he did try to get rid of bad teachers. He also used his power to get rid of people he disagreed with or did not roll over for him. He was more known for abusing his authority than for the being an educational leader. It is far too simplistic to praise him for for going after one group while turning away from that other side of him. He was a complex character who could be so polarizing as to create an atmosphere of hate and distrust. Heavy handed? Wow, that's putting a nice spin on it. Not, necessarily, the traits we need in our leaders (sound familiar?).
Interestingly, though, many of those who were not in his corner have expressed sadness at his passing. A nice sign that there can be humanity in disagreement.
Alex,
Will I dance on my principal's grave? No, of course not, yet, I will not sing her praises either. I'm sure Bush had good intentions when he entered Iraq, so we should all sing his praises when he dies. Hmmm.
Bad Teachers - - - I know what a bad teacher is, I've worked with them always. Do I feel sorry for the guy who can't teach? Sure I do, should he get another job? Of course. How about the bad teacher who is intentionally bad? Of course. How about the bad teacher who is a bad teacher because you disagree with him? That's what you've hinted I am, right? Yes...I know what a bad teacher is, and he talks like you. Always on the administration's side, right or wrong it doesn't matter right?
Ed was victimized by one of his principals, his CAREER is still in jeopardy. Yet, Ed defends someone who did the same to others. See, when you go to the rubber room your job isn't in jeopardy, your career, your reputation is put in jeopardy.
Shrug off a bad kid's comment. I don't know what type of La La land you live in, but you don't shrug off the same comment umpteen days in a row. Sooner or later a person will tell the student you can't get me fired so leave it alone. The whole incident took less than two minutes. I did not blow up, I did not make a scene. The incident was forgotten by everyone (except this student) almost immediately. The only thing which made it remarkable was my principal's reaction.
Respect for the dead. Respect for the dead!!! Have I maligned Durkin??? Did I expect Ed to criticize Durkin??? I didn't invite anyone to dance a jig on Durkin's grave. I just don't believe in fictionalizing and whitewashing a person's past. If I am a piece of work, alive or dead, that's what I am. Perhaps you knew this person and you loved him because he validated you in some way. Personally, I feel that it is people like this who've ruined the educational system of NYC.
PS Thank you for pointing of that my principal didn't have to be my best friend; that was so not obvious to me.
PPS Every profession is full of incompetent people, or less than competent people. As human beings we are all too fallible. Where these elusive "perfect teachers" are I don't know. I suspect they're hanging out with all the other "perfect" lawyers, doctors, Indian chiefs, etc......
I knew Mr. Durkin well. I am good friends with his son Bob and have been for many years. He loved teaching and was very dedicated to his profession. He inspired me to become a teacher. NYC would be a much better place if there were more Mr. Durkins!!!
Karen O.
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