It was 7:45am, and yet many cars zipped along the Grand Concourse with their headlights on. Dozens of sleepy people trudged to work, some in uniform, some more casually, a few in suits. The gas station billboard thermometer flashed -1 degrees celsius, and a strong wind from the river blew trash in every direction.
Paul walked with exhilarated steps, checking the time on his phone as we went. His interview at _________ public high school was at 8am, sharp, and he wanted to make sure that he was on time. In his mind he reviewed the answers that might be asked of him.
Why was he leaving his current gig at ________ Academy? Because, while he had gained a lot from the school, he thought that there was an element of social justice missing from it's mission.
What expertise did he bring to the position?
Well, in addition to his work at the before mentioned ________ Academy, he had also served as the director of diversity at Camp Olson, a camp for boys in New Hampshire. Under his direction, the camp had developed a fund such that underprivileged kids of color would get the chance to enjoy the fresh air and outdoors away from the city.
What were some of his weaknesses?
One of his greatest strengths was that he had very high standards for his students. Still though, he recognized that sometimes it meant that he did not set real enough expectations, and that he was more reticent to praise students then he should. Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of students as INDIVIDUALS, would make him a great candidate.
Paul was particularly fond of his preparation for this point. He felt that, like a politician, he would not quite answer what was asked, but rather what he wanted to answer.
He arrived at ________ public school at 7:55, and was surprised that there was a line out of door. He had been given to understand that he would be arriving before school started, but could see that he was quite mistaken. He joined the cue, that was very slowly entering the building, all the while nervously glancing at his watch.
The school's massive structure, formed from an old public housing building that had been remodeled to host 4 schools, looked badly in need of a coating of paint. The bleak building stood in stark contrast to the architecture of the beautiful, if somewhat carelessly kept, brownstones that hearkened back to the days when the neighborhood had belonged to upper middle class white families of the late 19th century. Outside of the building was a small tuft of grass that almost mocked the singular urban scape.
"Mister? Mister!" called a police officer, beckoning toward Paul as his part of the cue edged closer to the bottleneck at the door. Several of the students regailed him with indignant "YO!" and "Damn, man!" as he pushed his way into the building.
"I'm here to see-"
"Principal Tanner," interrupted the policeman, "yes I know. Please remove all metal on your person. That's coins, keys, jewelry, belt, whatever."
In Paul's rush to get into the school, he hadn't at all considered why it was that there had been such traffic. Now, however, he could see that at the entrance of the school were two imposing machines. All bags were screened and each person was patted down. Paul could see that the process was wildly inefficient and he wondered how the school ever started on time.
secretary “The office is down the hall, on the left," the officer said after giving Paul an aggressive look over and pat down.
Paul observed his surroundings. The walls, which had presumably been white at some juncture were a shade of grey that screamed neglect. The building smelled like stale cigarette smoke, moldy deterioration, and raw body odor. All around were posters featuring bromides like “There's no 'I' in 'team' and “If you believe, you will succeed," and an ancient picture of Martin Luther King hung next to the men's bathroom near the office.
Paul confidently addressed the secretary and was told that the principal was “ dealing with an issue," and that “ she will be right with you." He was directed to sit on a crusty beige couch that Paul was sure his grandmother could have owned and he tapped his foot in nervous anticipation.
Two hours later, Miranda Tanner strutted into the office, with a look that said “I'm the shit." Her grey suit perfectly accentuated her curvey body, and Paul wondered if she wore a girdle. After sharing a laugh with the secretary (Paul could not understand the joke as they spoke Spanish), she turned to the young man, and beckoned for him.
Paul followed the principal into her office unsure if he should comment on her egregious tardiness. What if he had had to get to another appointment? What had the principal to take care of that had allowed her to completely disregard their meeting. “Thank you for coming Mr. Langdon, we've a lot to discuss," Principal Tanner said obliquely.
Paul could see that the woman had no intention of apologizing. Her brazen disrespect was disarming and he found himself stuttering through the questions she asked about his experience and background. Midway through talking about his work at_____________ Academy, the principal yawned and held up her hand.
“Mr. Langdon, that's all well and good. Working here, though, requires a more, how should I say, DYNAMIC, skill set. Tell me, if a student enters your classroom, openly curses you out, and then refuses to leave when you kick him out of the class, what do you do?"
She eyed him with a look of superiority that almost made Paul lose it. He knew before answering that anything he said would be “wrong,” and realized that this wasn't so much an interview as it was an exercise in emasculation. This dragon was having herself an early lunch.
As he left the building 20 minutes later, he felt a bit outside of himself. He wondered if all black men were treated this way by the principal, or just those with potential. Either way, he didn't want to work at the jail anyway.
"I'm here to see-"
"Principal Tanner," interrupted the policeman, "yes I know. Please remove all metal on your person. That's coins, keys, jewelry, belt, whatever."
In Paul's rush to get into the school, he hadn't at all considered why it was that there had been such traffic. Now, however, he could see that at the entrance of the school were two imposing machines. All bags were screened and each person was patted down. Paul could see that the process was wildly inefficient and he wondered how the school ever started on time.
secretary “The office is down the hall, on the left," the officer said after giving Paul an aggressive look over and pat down.
Paul observed his surroundings. The walls, which had presumably been white at some juncture were a shade of grey that screamed neglect. The building smelled like stale cigarette smoke, moldy deterioration, and raw body odor. All around were posters featuring bromides like “There's no 'I' in 'team' and “If you believe, you will succeed," and an ancient picture of Martin Luther King hung next to the men's bathroom near the office.
Paul confidently addressed the secretary and was told that the principal was “ dealing with an issue," and that “ she will be right with you." He was directed to sit on a crusty beige couch that Paul was sure his grandmother could have owned and he tapped his foot in nervous anticipation.
Two hours later, Miranda Tanner strutted into the office, with a look that said “I'm the shit." Her grey suit perfectly accentuated her curvey body, and Paul wondered if she wore a girdle. After sharing a laugh with the secretary (Paul could not understand the joke as they spoke Spanish), she turned to the young man, and beckoned for him.
Paul followed the principal into her office unsure if he should comment on her egregious tardiness. What if he had had to get to another appointment? What had the principal to take care of that had allowed her to completely disregard their meeting. “Thank you for coming Mr. Langdon, we've a lot to discuss," Principal Tanner said obliquely.
Paul could see that the woman had no intention of apologizing. Her brazen disrespect was disarming and he found himself stuttering through the questions she asked about his experience and background. Midway through talking about his work at_____________ Academy, the principal yawned and held up her hand.
“Mr. Langdon, that's all well and good. Working here, though, requires a more, how should I say, DYNAMIC, skill set. Tell me, if a student enters your classroom, openly curses you out, and then refuses to leave when you kick him out of the class, what do you do?"
She eyed him with a look of superiority that almost made Paul lose it. He knew before answering that anything he said would be “wrong,” and realized that this wasn't so much an interview as it was an exercise in emasculation. This dragon was having herself an early lunch.
As he left the building 20 minutes later, he felt a bit outside of himself. He wondered if all black men were treated this way by the principal, or just those with potential. Either way, he didn't want to work at the jail anyway.
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