courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/
I've told you about my favorites from the new TV season, and gee, it's a lot.
The following new shows, in my opinion, are not worth my time. I'm just covering the new season, none of the returning series.
Lone Star. What the F? He's married, and living a double life, and playing both sides of the ZZZZZZzzzz. Good news... I can watch Mike and Molly now. See how that is.
Mike and Molly. The two leads are likable, and the sidekick is funny. But Molly's family is just over the top irritating. I mean if Swoosie Kurtz is bad, you know you got a stinker. I'm upset. This had potential to be a very sweet comedy.
Chase: I know... I was looking forward to it, too. But it looked as if it would be a different kind of show. Action packed, energetic... nope! Cops, sorry, Federal Marshalls, hunting down a criminal. Procedural. Boring. Call it Law and Order.
Raising Hope, Running Wilde. A good sitcom has a simple premise. Son moves in with a fowl-mouthed father. Five friends hang out at a bar and discuss dating. Six friends hang out at a coffee shop and discuss dating. Both of these Fox shows have longwinded, contrived, elaborate premises. Raising Hope, for example, is about a white trash guy who meets an ex-con woman while she is fleeing from a crazy boyfriend, only to later realize that she's crazy and violent and then she leaves the baby for his white trash, dysfunctional family to take care of, except they are terrible people who could potentially kill the child at any given moment... and on and on.
Detriot 1-8-7 - Procedural. Cop shows depend on you caring about the characters. I don't care about these characters. Simply my opinion.
Better With You - liked it better when it was called "Til Death." And I hated "Til Death." Apparently, the humor comes from the fact that as a relationship goes on and on, you start hating your spouse. It's a COMEDY!
Outsourced - Here's the basis of humor for this show: India sucks. India has no clue about America. That's funny.
Blue Bloods - Pretty good, but nothing unique enough to draw me in. I'm not saying it's a bad show, I'm saying I'm just not into it.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
What I'm watching
courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/
My friend Joe got me hooked. He's a huge TV fan. Ask anyone. He knows the insider info about what's coming back next season, what got cancelled and why, which producer won the biggest foot contest they had backstage at the Emmys... EVERYTHING! I was exposed to his deadly obsession when he would regularly come over to my house, or me to his to watch 24. We then got to talking about virtually every other show, and I made it a point to go out and watch the shows I didn't know. As a result, when the new TV season starts, I start planning my weeknights.
This week was the week everything is premiering, and I'm DVRing everything, watching the first episode. If it doesn't hook me right away, it's gone. I forever believe it to suck. But then there are some that are given a few weeks to prove themselves (like Glee, and The Good Guys,) and some that downright offend me, (like Glee and Big Bang Theory.) As a result, this week, I have some new obsessions and some returning faves.
Sunday: Boardwalk Empire. Absolutely outstanding. Period appropriate. Gangster, but a different kind of gangster. Plus it's about the prohibition era, which fascinates me. I mean a radical movement uses political tactics to make a ridiculous amendment to the constitution that infringes on individual freedoms. I mean, how crazy is that?
Monday: The emptiness I felt losing Lost and 24 has now been filled by The Event. I started just thinking, "OK, terrorist hijacking, assassinating the president... seen it all before..." then the ending, which I shall not spoil, flips everything around!!!! If you miss Lost, SEE The Event. Yeah, the promos are annoying. Get over it!
Also, Hawaii Five-O. I'm giving this a few weeks. The premise is a good one, it's entertaining, and the characters really drive the procedural plot. Plus Grace Park is hot. I'll give it a shot.
Wednesday: Undercovers. I originally thought that this was just another spy show. I think the key to any procedural is the writing and the characters. This couple has a nice rapport, and J.J.Abrams dialogue to make this rise above typical spy shows. The question is, when J.J. lets go of the reins, will the show continue to be cool?
Thursday: $#!^ My Dad Says. Again, was not expecting this to be good. But it is. The Opening credits told me why: David Kohan and Matt Mutchnick. The producers responsible for Will and Grace and others. It's well written, and hysterically acted. And it's realistic. The actors aren't mugging for the camera, or overacting a stereotypical character, they're just playing the moment. Most of all, 6 words: William Shatner, Will Sasso, Nicole Sullivan.
* Law Shows: The asterisk is because a few new shows, all of them courtroom dramas, are toss ups. I'm giving them a chance, but I'm concerned that they won't go anywhere. The Good Wife is an exception because the cases aren't the focus of the show, they are simply what Alicia Florick does at work. Sometimes she's the lead council, sometimes she's assisting, or even staying out of it. It's the characters and the back story of Alicia dealing with the embarassment of her husband's infidelity that drives the show. Outlaw has a similar back story, a Supreme Court Justice, sick of the politics of his position, trying cases to make up for lost karma. The Defenders is... um... set in Vegas? ...has Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell? Not so much. I'm going to try Outlaw and the Defenders for a few more weeks. I hope they don't lose me.
What I DO like is The Whole Truth. I had an idea a few days ago, that law shows are always showing lawyers on the right side of a case. Prosecuting the guilty, or defending the innocent. I thought it might be interesting to have a show about someone defending someone they know to be guilty. I thought it wouldn't work, because viewers don't want to see the "hero" of a show on the wrong side. The Whole Truth shows a trial case from BOTH sides, prosecution AND defense. It's interesting because through the prep for the trial, we, the viewer, don't know who's right. It's cool. I love writing for television.
Returning Champions: Chuck, House, and How I Met Your Mother. Sadly, I can't DVR three things at once, so I need to watch "Mother" on the Computer. But Chuck is a great guilty pleasure. It's well shot, and has a great energy. Plus, they throw in references to Tron and other Nerd movies, so what's not to love? And if you need me to tell you why House is so good, well then, it's time for that lobotomy.
I'm also getting BACK into Community after a half a year of angrily boycotting NBC. But since I watched Jimmy Fallon religiously during that time, the boycott really made no sense. Also, The Middle is a favorite new comedy. It is also, in my humble opinion, the only ABC Wednesday night comedy worth a damn. I don't care if it won an Emmy, Modern Family is over the top stereotypes gone wild, and Cougartown is Courtney Cox falling a lot. The Middle, not only has a great Scrubs-like comedy style, keeping it grounded in reality while also being zanily out there; but Heck, I'll say it: it has a heart. (Get it, Heck? As in the last name of the family?... never mind.) Every parent has felt that their family is exactly like the Hecks at one time or another.
CSI : Las Vegas. The original. Miami and New York are like Crystal Pepsi, and Pepsi twist.
Medium - NBC's loss is CBS's gain. HA HA!
Human Target - A million times better than the Rick Springfield version from the 90s. I think it's cool that DC is not trolling out all the big names. They're peppering the franchises of the big names, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman; with some of the lesser known, but awesome comics, Jonah Hex, Red, Human Target. Seriously, check it out, it's good!
Next Blog post.... What I'm NOT watching and WHY!!!!
My friend Joe got me hooked. He's a huge TV fan. Ask anyone. He knows the insider info about what's coming back next season, what got cancelled and why, which producer won the biggest foot contest they had backstage at the Emmys... EVERYTHING! I was exposed to his deadly obsession when he would regularly come over to my house, or me to his to watch 24. We then got to talking about virtually every other show, and I made it a point to go out and watch the shows I didn't know. As a result, when the new TV season starts, I start planning my weeknights.
This week was the week everything is premiering, and I'm DVRing everything, watching the first episode. If it doesn't hook me right away, it's gone. I forever believe it to suck. But then there are some that are given a few weeks to prove themselves (like Glee, and The Good Guys,) and some that downright offend me, (like Glee and Big Bang Theory.) As a result, this week, I have some new obsessions and some returning faves.
Sunday: Boardwalk Empire. Absolutely outstanding. Period appropriate. Gangster, but a different kind of gangster. Plus it's about the prohibition era, which fascinates me. I mean a radical movement uses political tactics to make a ridiculous amendment to the constitution that infringes on individual freedoms. I mean, how crazy is that?
Monday: The emptiness I felt losing Lost and 24 has now been filled by The Event. I started just thinking, "OK, terrorist hijacking, assassinating the president... seen it all before..." then the ending, which I shall not spoil, flips everything around!!!! If you miss Lost, SEE The Event. Yeah, the promos are annoying. Get over it!
Also, Hawaii Five-O. I'm giving this a few weeks. The premise is a good one, it's entertaining, and the characters really drive the procedural plot. Plus Grace Park is hot. I'll give it a shot.
Wednesday: Undercovers. I originally thought that this was just another spy show. I think the key to any procedural is the writing and the characters. This couple has a nice rapport, and J.J.Abrams dialogue to make this rise above typical spy shows. The question is, when J.J. lets go of the reins, will the show continue to be cool?
Thursday: $#!^ My Dad Says. Again, was not expecting this to be good. But it is. The Opening credits told me why: David Kohan and Matt Mutchnick. The producers responsible for Will and Grace and others. It's well written, and hysterically acted. And it's realistic. The actors aren't mugging for the camera, or overacting a stereotypical character, they're just playing the moment. Most of all, 6 words: William Shatner, Will Sasso, Nicole Sullivan.
* Law Shows: The asterisk is because a few new shows, all of them courtroom dramas, are toss ups. I'm giving them a chance, but I'm concerned that they won't go anywhere. The Good Wife is an exception because the cases aren't the focus of the show, they are simply what Alicia Florick does at work. Sometimes she's the lead council, sometimes she's assisting, or even staying out of it. It's the characters and the back story of Alicia dealing with the embarassment of her husband's infidelity that drives the show. Outlaw has a similar back story, a Supreme Court Justice, sick of the politics of his position, trying cases to make up for lost karma. The Defenders is... um... set in Vegas? ...has Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell? Not so much. I'm going to try Outlaw and the Defenders for a few more weeks. I hope they don't lose me.
What I DO like is The Whole Truth. I had an idea a few days ago, that law shows are always showing lawyers on the right side of a case. Prosecuting the guilty, or defending the innocent. I thought it might be interesting to have a show about someone defending someone they know to be guilty. I thought it wouldn't work, because viewers don't want to see the "hero" of a show on the wrong side. The Whole Truth shows a trial case from BOTH sides, prosecution AND defense. It's interesting because through the prep for the trial, we, the viewer, don't know who's right. It's cool. I love writing for television.
Returning Champions: Chuck, House, and How I Met Your Mother. Sadly, I can't DVR three things at once, so I need to watch "Mother" on the Computer. But Chuck is a great guilty pleasure. It's well shot, and has a great energy. Plus, they throw in references to Tron and other Nerd movies, so what's not to love? And if you need me to tell you why House is so good, well then, it's time for that lobotomy.
I'm also getting BACK into Community after a half a year of angrily boycotting NBC. But since I watched Jimmy Fallon religiously during that time, the boycott really made no sense. Also, The Middle is a favorite new comedy. It is also, in my humble opinion, the only ABC Wednesday night comedy worth a damn. I don't care if it won an Emmy, Modern Family is over the top stereotypes gone wild, and Cougartown is Courtney Cox falling a lot. The Middle, not only has a great Scrubs-like comedy style, keeping it grounded in reality while also being zanily out there; but Heck, I'll say it: it has a heart. (Get it, Heck? As in the last name of the family?... never mind.) Every parent has felt that their family is exactly like the Hecks at one time or another.
CSI : Las Vegas. The original. Miami and New York are like Crystal Pepsi, and Pepsi twist.
Medium - NBC's loss is CBS's gain. HA HA!
Human Target - A million times better than the Rick Springfield version from the 90s. I think it's cool that DC is not trolling out all the big names. They're peppering the franchises of the big names, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman; with some of the lesser known, but awesome comics, Jonah Hex, Red, Human Target. Seriously, check it out, it's good!
Next Blog post.... What I'm NOT watching and WHY!!!!
Monday, September 20, 2010
For the love of God, Smart people... VOTE!
courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/
So... a teacher walks into his classroom one day, and announces to the class that they can either take their unit test or take the day off and watch a video. "By a show of hands, who would like to watch the video?" he says. Now, the students are not really paying attention, or are really apathetic. They obviously want to take the day off, but maybe they believe that this obviousness will prevail without their contribution. This goes without saying, so I don't need to say it. As a result, of the 30 people in the class, nobody raises their hand. Nobody votes for the video option.
The teacher then says, "OK, who would like to take the 2-period long, no break, largely essay, surprise test?" And three students in the back of the room start waving both arms in the air, yelling, "ME! ME! OH, ME!" Two are nerds that nobody likes and one was being sarcastic. The class has just voted 3-0 to take the test over relaxation.
The recent primary elections reminded me of this example that I often say to my students to remind them of the responsibility of every citizen to get out and vote. I'm a little scared. I'm scared because the Tea Partiers are, apparently, a force to be reckoned with. Because the Republican nomination in at least two states went to Teabagger candidates. In Delaware, it's Christine O'Donnell for senate, who thinks that masturbating is the same as infidelity, and is not entirely convinced that condoms stop the spread of AIDS. And in my state, New York, we have Carl Paladino running for Governor, who insulted New York City by calling them elitist snobs. I can tell you from living in upstate New York for 4 years, that as far as anyone up there is concerned, Long Island is the same as New York City, therefore he was also alienating my island home. Here's what scares me.... they could BOTH possibly win.
And I'll say it. If we are assuming that these candidates have the unconditional support of the Tea Party; that teabaggers believe that THESE candidates are going to save us from Obama, and make everything right again; then teabaggers are freakin' idiots! And anyone who ISN'T a card carrying teabagger, but goes along with or takes seriously what they have to say, is a complete moron.
But here's the thing, they're voting. And they're voting for dumb people. And I don't believe that it's because the dummies are a majority of America. I believe that it's because the smart people just didn't vote. Maybe it's because it was the Republican primary, or maybe smart people have lives and couldn't get to the polls.
But here's what I'm saying. If you are smart; if you are well informed; if you have a grip on reality; if you have enough of a brain to mentally override propaganda and popular political trends; then you MUST vote in November. New York, Long Island, you have to respond to a candidate insulting you by saying, "F*&% you, you just lost my vote, a$%hole!" Delaware, you have to stand up and state in a calm, yet firm, intelligent voice, "Um, Ms. O'Donnell, I masturbate WITH my spouse, and we're both fine with it, and condoms DO stop the spread of AIDS. Try reading a book sometime."
I, too, once thought we need to send a non-politician to Washington to help shake up politics. But, what I meant was: send a smart, competent non-politician who has a freaking clue about what's going on on this planet. If these candidates win, here's what will happen. First, Fox news will celebrate it as a turn around in the country, even though it's just those couple of states, and morons will believe it, because, hey, it was on television. Second, Ms. O'Donnell will go to Washington and then realize that she has no clue how to do this job. But, also realizing that admitting that will publicly humiliate her and her party, she'll employ the magical art of getting away with not doing your job that we call Politics, and will convince her moron supporters that not only did she DO a good job, but that she should get another term.
So, please... smart people in Delaware, and New York, and everywhere in the USA... PLEASE inform yourself over the next month or so, and make time to get out and vote for the truly best candidate for the office. Whether it be Governor, or School Board President. Stop the insanity, and send the right message. Make it really hard for Fox News to spin this positively towards their side.
By the way, if you do your research, inform yourself, and still think that Paladino is the right choice for NY Governor, then by all means; vote your conscience. Consider, though, that voting for a businessman for governor, or someone with no career or usable job skills for senator, is kinda like hiring a garbage man to be a chef in your 5-star restaurant. Sure, he can do the job, but should Chateau La Mer be serving grilled cheese every night?
So... a teacher walks into his classroom one day, and announces to the class that they can either take their unit test or take the day off and watch a video. "By a show of hands, who would like to watch the video?" he says. Now, the students are not really paying attention, or are really apathetic. They obviously want to take the day off, but maybe they believe that this obviousness will prevail without their contribution. This goes without saying, so I don't need to say it. As a result, of the 30 people in the class, nobody raises their hand. Nobody votes for the video option.
The teacher then says, "OK, who would like to take the 2-period long, no break, largely essay, surprise test?" And three students in the back of the room start waving both arms in the air, yelling, "ME! ME! OH, ME!" Two are nerds that nobody likes and one was being sarcastic. The class has just voted 3-0 to take the test over relaxation.
The recent primary elections reminded me of this example that I often say to my students to remind them of the responsibility of every citizen to get out and vote. I'm a little scared. I'm scared because the Tea Partiers are, apparently, a force to be reckoned with. Because the Republican nomination in at least two states went to Teabagger candidates. In Delaware, it's Christine O'Donnell for senate, who thinks that masturbating is the same as infidelity, and is not entirely convinced that condoms stop the spread of AIDS. And in my state, New York, we have Carl Paladino running for Governor, who insulted New York City by calling them elitist snobs. I can tell you from living in upstate New York for 4 years, that as far as anyone up there is concerned, Long Island is the same as New York City, therefore he was also alienating my island home. Here's what scares me.... they could BOTH possibly win.
And I'll say it. If we are assuming that these candidates have the unconditional support of the Tea Party; that teabaggers believe that THESE candidates are going to save us from Obama, and make everything right again; then teabaggers are freakin' idiots! And anyone who ISN'T a card carrying teabagger, but goes along with or takes seriously what they have to say, is a complete moron.
But here's the thing, they're voting. And they're voting for dumb people. And I don't believe that it's because the dummies are a majority of America. I believe that it's because the smart people just didn't vote. Maybe it's because it was the Republican primary, or maybe smart people have lives and couldn't get to the polls.
But here's what I'm saying. If you are smart; if you are well informed; if you have a grip on reality; if you have enough of a brain to mentally override propaganda and popular political trends; then you MUST vote in November. New York, Long Island, you have to respond to a candidate insulting you by saying, "F*&% you, you just lost my vote, a$%hole!" Delaware, you have to stand up and state in a calm, yet firm, intelligent voice, "Um, Ms. O'Donnell, I masturbate WITH my spouse, and we're both fine with it, and condoms DO stop the spread of AIDS. Try reading a book sometime."
I, too, once thought we need to send a non-politician to Washington to help shake up politics. But, what I meant was: send a smart, competent non-politician who has a freaking clue about what's going on on this planet. If these candidates win, here's what will happen. First, Fox news will celebrate it as a turn around in the country, even though it's just those couple of states, and morons will believe it, because, hey, it was on television. Second, Ms. O'Donnell will go to Washington and then realize that she has no clue how to do this job. But, also realizing that admitting that will publicly humiliate her and her party, she'll employ the magical art of getting away with not doing your job that we call Politics, and will convince her moron supporters that not only did she DO a good job, but that she should get another term.
So, please... smart people in Delaware, and New York, and everywhere in the USA... PLEASE inform yourself over the next month or so, and make time to get out and vote for the truly best candidate for the office. Whether it be Governor, or School Board President. Stop the insanity, and send the right message. Make it really hard for Fox News to spin this positively towards their side.
By the way, if you do your research, inform yourself, and still think that Paladino is the right choice for NY Governor, then by all means; vote your conscience. Consider, though, that voting for a businessman for governor, or someone with no career or usable job skills for senator, is kinda like hiring a garbage man to be a chef in your 5-star restaurant. Sure, he can do the job, but should Chateau La Mer be serving grilled cheese every night?
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
12 Things Good (People) believe
courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/
A Blogger on http://www.choralnet.com/ copied this from a blogger at the Harvard Business Review . The article was called "The 12 Things Good Bosses Believe." The choralnet blogger changed it slightly to be what Choir Directors believe. I will choose to apply it to what Teachers believe. They are as follows. The bold is Robert Sutton's words, the rest is my reflection on them.
The 12 Things Good Teachers Believe
1. I have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to be in my class. It's happened to me often. I expect that a group of 7th graders ought to be able to do this. I mean, I can do this! It's easy! I'm also 40 and 18 years out of school. I think I need to find ways of simply being a choir member, to remind myself of that side of the experience.
2. My success — and that of my students — depends largely on being the master of obvious and mundane things, not on magical, obscure, or breakthrough ideas or methods. Or as Kung Fu Panda put it... there is no secret ingredient. Strangely, the manner in which administrators and government choose to "reform" education is by offering this new, innovative, brilliant method which will be implemented immediately or you're fired. Education reform is easy. Get rid of truly bad teachers. Get politicians out of school administration and Boards of Ed. And parents, do your freakin' job as parents! Most importantly, don't be terrified of students failing. Grades need to accurately reflect student performance. If students don't do anything, and they still pass, then THAT'S where schools fail. In short, Public education works, stop messing with it.
3. Having ambitious and well-defined goals is important, but it is useless to think about them much. My job is to focus on the small wins that enable my class to make a little progress every day. Long term goals are just that, Long Term. Do your job, day to day, and don't screw up.
4. One of the most important, and most difficult, parts of my job is to strike the delicate balance between being too assertive and not assertive enough. That's a big one. Can't be a pushover, but also shouldn't be a dick.
5. My job is to serve as a human shield, to protect my class from external intrusions, distractions, and idiocy of every stripe — and to avoid imposing my own idiocy on them as well. I'm taking this role VERY seriously this year. Negativity is simply not allowed in my classroom. If you're going to discourage my students in any way, I'm going to need to take you out.
6. I strive to be confident enough to convince people that I am in charge, but humble enough to realize that I am often going to be wrong. In conductor's terms, If I screw up, all of you need to screw up as well. I'll happily accept responsibility for cuing you incorrectly. But if I'm there for you, you need to watch and follow. It's on me to be correct.
7. I aim to fight as if I am right, and listen as if I am wrong — and to teach my students to do the same thing. Never was it put more clearly than this. I heard it both ways in my legendary and tumultuous career. I heard, "Be true to yourself," which made me arrogant. Others said, "But Carl, you're not perfect, and you're usually wrong, so let others tell you how to improve," and that made me a wuss, dependent on others to make your decisions for me, and allowing me to compromise what I KNOW to be correct. Again, a balance must be struck between the two.
8. One of the best tests of my leadership — and my organization — is "what happens after people make a mistake?" Students don't need you to do it for them. They need to be trained to do it themself. I have an annoying and not helpful habit of singing along with me choir. That makes them dependent on me. I need to stop that. My dream, my goal, to have a group of students who, when I'm not around, will go into a practice room and sing their parts themselves.
9. Innovation is crucial to every team and organization. So my job is to encourage my class to generate and test all kinds of new ideas. But it is also my job to help them kill off all the bad ideas we generate, and most of the good ideas, too. 'Nuff said.
10. Bad is stronger than good. It is more important to eliminate the negative than to accentuate the positive. While I disagree with this statement; I prefer to believe that good will overcome all; I will rephrase... Bad is more seductive and tempting than good. A choir member once asked me, "Mr. F, wouldn't it be better if we all just sang the melody?" I responded, "No, it would be easier, and would require less thinking, but it wouldn't be better."
11. How I do things is as important as what I do. It's not what you say, it's how you say it. Example, "She had a crack baby." Or. "She had a crack, Baby!" - Zach Galifinakis
12. Because I wield power over others, I am at great risk of acting like an insensitive jerk — and not realizing it. But I like power! But yes, I'm a role model. Careful the things you say, Children will Listen. (Sondheim) They'll forget what you said, and what you did, but they'll never forget how you made them feel.
Such is my goal for this year. Be a better leader, and have a more fun time in school.
A Blogger on http://www.choralnet.com/ copied this from a blogger at the Harvard Business Review . The article was called "The 12 Things Good Bosses Believe." The choralnet blogger changed it slightly to be what Choir Directors believe. I will choose to apply it to what Teachers believe. They are as follows. The bold is Robert Sutton's words, the rest is my reflection on them.
The 12 Things Good Teachers Believe
1. I have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to be in my class. It's happened to me often. I expect that a group of 7th graders ought to be able to do this. I mean, I can do this! It's easy! I'm also 40 and 18 years out of school. I think I need to find ways of simply being a choir member, to remind myself of that side of the experience.
2. My success — and that of my students — depends largely on being the master of obvious and mundane things, not on magical, obscure, or breakthrough ideas or methods. Or as Kung Fu Panda put it... there is no secret ingredient. Strangely, the manner in which administrators and government choose to "reform" education is by offering this new, innovative, brilliant method which will be implemented immediately or you're fired. Education reform is easy. Get rid of truly bad teachers. Get politicians out of school administration and Boards of Ed. And parents, do your freakin' job as parents! Most importantly, don't be terrified of students failing. Grades need to accurately reflect student performance. If students don't do anything, and they still pass, then THAT'S where schools fail. In short, Public education works, stop messing with it.
3. Having ambitious and well-defined goals is important, but it is useless to think about them much. My job is to focus on the small wins that enable my class to make a little progress every day. Long term goals are just that, Long Term. Do your job, day to day, and don't screw up.
4. One of the most important, and most difficult, parts of my job is to strike the delicate balance between being too assertive and not assertive enough. That's a big one. Can't be a pushover, but also shouldn't be a dick.
5. My job is to serve as a human shield, to protect my class from external intrusions, distractions, and idiocy of every stripe — and to avoid imposing my own idiocy on them as well. I'm taking this role VERY seriously this year. Negativity is simply not allowed in my classroom. If you're going to discourage my students in any way, I'm going to need to take you out.
6. I strive to be confident enough to convince people that I am in charge, but humble enough to realize that I am often going to be wrong. In conductor's terms, If I screw up, all of you need to screw up as well. I'll happily accept responsibility for cuing you incorrectly. But if I'm there for you, you need to watch and follow. It's on me to be correct.
7. I aim to fight as if I am right, and listen as if I am wrong — and to teach my students to do the same thing. Never was it put more clearly than this. I heard it both ways in my legendary and tumultuous career. I heard, "Be true to yourself," which made me arrogant. Others said, "But Carl, you're not perfect, and you're usually wrong, so let others tell you how to improve," and that made me a wuss, dependent on others to make your decisions for me, and allowing me to compromise what I KNOW to be correct. Again, a balance must be struck between the two.
8. One of the best tests of my leadership — and my organization — is "what happens after people make a mistake?" Students don't need you to do it for them. They need to be trained to do it themself. I have an annoying and not helpful habit of singing along with me choir. That makes them dependent on me. I need to stop that. My dream, my goal, to have a group of students who, when I'm not around, will go into a practice room and sing their parts themselves.
9. Innovation is crucial to every team and organization. So my job is to encourage my class to generate and test all kinds of new ideas. But it is also my job to help them kill off all the bad ideas we generate, and most of the good ideas, too. 'Nuff said.
10. Bad is stronger than good. It is more important to eliminate the negative than to accentuate the positive. While I disagree with this statement; I prefer to believe that good will overcome all; I will rephrase... Bad is more seductive and tempting than good. A choir member once asked me, "Mr. F, wouldn't it be better if we all just sang the melody?" I responded, "No, it would be easier, and would require less thinking, but it wouldn't be better."
11. How I do things is as important as what I do. It's not what you say, it's how you say it. Example, "She had a crack baby." Or. "She had a crack, Baby!" - Zach Galifinakis
12. Because I wield power over others, I am at great risk of acting like an insensitive jerk — and not realizing it. But I like power! But yes, I'm a role model. Careful the things you say, Children will Listen. (Sondheim) They'll forget what you said, and what you did, but they'll never forget how you made them feel.
Such is my goal for this year. Be a better leader, and have a more fun time in school.
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