IPS B.S. was talking the other day to some fellow teachers about movies that involve schools, "Lean on Me", "Stand and Deliver", "Teachers." If you could make a movie about IPS, what would you call it and who would be cast as whom? Let's have a little fun today.
How about an IPS version of Monty Python's Flying Circus featuring you know who as the head buffoon wearing ruby red slippers.
ReplyDeleteI can think of two right off hand.
ReplyDeleteOne speaks for itself, "Titanic."
The other will need some explaining for some. "The Caine Mutiny."
The Caine Mutiny is a vintage 1954 movie set during World War II. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, Van Johnson and Fred MacMurray, and is based on a 1951 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
The film depicts a mutiny aboard a fictitious World War II U.S. Navy destroyer minesweeper that results in the court-martial of two officers who were just trying to keep the ship from sinking while the psychotic commander, played by Bogart, was making bizarre decisions that put all of the crew's lives in danger.
The Bogart character also made it a practice of finding many creative and nasty ways to abuse and harass the men who served under him on the ship.
Check out the scene in the courtroom when the Bogart character begins to become unhinged during his court testimony and starts clicking two metal balls together while he drones on incoherently.
Can't remember if the Bogart character wears red shoes with his uniform, though. Have to watch it again, I guess.
I'm sorry but the movie wouldn't be a movie at all but a television show. Green Acres! Eddie Albert's character, Mr. Douglas is the teacher, turn off the sound sometime and watch his facial expressions, they are the same ones every teacher makes when a kid says "I'm gonna grow up and deal drugs, and have more money then you", or "I ain't gettin no job where I need to read" or "If they won't hire me with this giant tattoo on my neck I'm planning on getting, I'll just get a better job somewhere else".
ReplyDeleteHis wife Ava Gabor is every administrator, applying zebra striped wall paper to the ramshackle walls of the deteriorating house, cooking food no one can eat, and going along with the town folks and their foolish beliefs.
And the town folks are some of the parents and students, who steadfastly hold to a belief system that says you really don't need an education and any book smarts. Arnold Ziffle, the pig who is the son of the Ziffles, really does love Walter Cronkite, attend the third grade, and watches cowboy movies on TV, just like the children who can only read on the fourth grade reading level, even thought they are in the ninth grade, and still have to use their finger to do math are indeed going to go to college and become pediatricians. There is no link between achievement in school and future success, and no link between effort and current success.
Willie Wonka - The Last Magic Candy Bar. Starring Dr. White in his stunning gold Gucci slipper, showing the "Wobble-Bobble Heads" the factory. Then they roll Linda Davis into lard making machine that will make a fortune for IPS, and save the schools. Mary Bush will have birds living in her hair.
ReplyDelete"Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe would be a strikingly relevant screenplay depicting a contemporary glimpse of African-American society in Indianapolis as it's evolved far from its original Nigerian roots.
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo, played by Eugene White, is physically strong and imposing and is famous locally for having thrown the renowned wrestler Amalinze the Cat, Jeffrey White, in a long grueling match. The story follows Okonkwo (Eugene White) and his fall from greatness. He has three office wives who blindly follow his directives, a mark of professional status in contemporary public education culture. The three office wives are portrayed aptly by the mature matrons: Prudence, Jane, and Jackie.
Okonkwo's (Eugene's) father was absent from his youthful years, and it is Okonkwo's (Eugene's) goal in life to become opposite of what his father was. He is driven by his fear of appearing weak, and therefore is quick to anger. Living in a culture where strong women traditionally have ruled, Okonkwo (Eugene) has adopted a strangely dark and menacing patriarchal attitude towards his employees and does not express his gratitude, love and affection.
The missionary, Mr. Brown, naturally is played by Pat Pritchett who is lenient and understanding and prefers to accommodate all wishes from all parties involved.
The sequel to "Things Fall Apart" is "No Longer At Ease".
let's see....
ReplyDeleteGary Coleman as Dr. Giles
Godzilla as Dr. Johnson
Jabba the Hutt as Sally Callahan
Darth Vader turns out to be Jeffrey White's father...?
ReplyDeleteI picked "The Wizard of Oz" or as some remember the Broadway version "The Wiz" starring Mean Eugene as the nutty wizard hiding behind the false facade of delivering and granting people's wishes. The Wicked Witch well that would be a toss up between ( Dr. Johnson and Dr. Clency). Dorothy could be played by any IPS school teacher who feels the need to click our heels during the school day (that is filled with chaos), just wishing we were in a hot tub on a tropical island somewhere or just in the comfort of our own home. The scarecrow would be played by Mary Louise Bewley (she still is looking for a brain), The Cowardly Lion would be played by Dr. Giles the title speaks for itself , The Tin Man would be played by either the IPS Human Resource Dept. or Payroll Dept. neither have a heart! Last, but not least would be ToTo played by none other then the IPS Students (barking and yelping at their teachers all day). Oh! I almost forgot the Flying Monkeys( which would be played by the IPS School Board) how fitting!!!! Sounds like I could win a Tony for sure!
ReplyDeleteThis is great!! Keep 'em coming!
ReplyDeleteThe Matrix:
ReplyDelete"The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it." - Morpheus
ed asner as prudence bridgewater
ReplyDeletequasimodo as joan harrell
oj simpson as eugene
I did love laugh until I almost wet my pants at the starring role of Gary Coleman - Dr. Giles, and Ms. Piggy - Sandra Towne. Hermit The Frog - Dr. White.
ReplyDeleteDeb Leser would be a better Miss Piggy!!!
ReplyDeleteDr. Clency is nearing production of her blockbuster hit, "A Thousand and One Ways to Wear a Wig". She will be interviewed on the Oprah Show next month. Mary Bush has been selected for an X-Treme Makeover, or at the least, she will be treated to a week's unlimited use of any wig of her choice from Dr. Clency's extensive collection.
ReplyDeleteLarry Yarrell is busy filming the final scenes of his very own "Movin' on Up" series after he secretly spent 11 years as George Jefferson's understudy and body double.
ReplyDeleteESchool Entertainment Company is negotiating with Brandon Crosby as the central character in "Working the Mean Streets of Evansville", a true life documentary of a middle-class preppie gone ghetto in Southern Indiana.
Local auditions for "Smarter than a Fifth Grader" held at an undisclosed downtown location produced a natural, Dexter Suggs, for next season's release of "Secrets to Finding Ghostwriters".
Mary Busch will be starring in "Back to the 60's". She already has the wardrobe and the hairdo so it won't cost as much.
ReplyDeleteHow about Linda Casey staring in "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" cause she dates colored men?
ReplyDeleteLean on Me starring Jeffrey White as Joe Clark. and Gene White as Dr. Nasmith. Top that!!!!
ReplyDeleteHow about the 1970s Mel Brooks movie, "High Anxiety?"
ReplyDeleteIPS teachers are in the Brooks role as a conscientious psychiatrist trying to straighten out a mental institution - who is constantly being harassed and intimidated from every side.
The IPS administration and school board play the Cloris Leachman role of Nurse Diesel, who does the nastiest of the harassing.
"No fruit cup for you, teachers!"
I am still laughing thinking of Larry Yarrell in the George Jefferson role......I am not sure that I could tell the two apart. They look and act so much alike..................still laughing
ReplyDeleteMy favorite has to be the "ed asner as prudence bridgewater" remark!!!
ReplyDeleteSo what "color" are the men Linda Casey dates? I think this comment resembles the thinking of some of the "uncolored" folks in "To Kill A Mockingbird" - the pettiness and downright ugliness of these comments is sad. (no, again, I am NOT from downtown...not black...and have no connection to the folks mentioned. Just a teacher hoping that these are not the attitudes being communicated to our students.
ReplyDeleteI agree. That ignorant "colored men" remark was totally out of place. We finally get a topic to blog about that makes us LAUGH, which we all desperately need, and someone tries to ruin it.
ReplyDeleteAm I'm a TEACHER.
Again, I will remind you that - and before I go any further...yes, I am a teacher and no, I do not know anyone in Central Office - this is a public site and we need to act accordingly. Yes, I know it is anonymous. I know that we are treated unfairly.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it is necessary to use the term colored in any realm. It is one thing to make jokes, but that is too much...does dating others of different ethnicity make someone a bad person?
A couple of thoughts:
ReplyDelete1. I have noticed an undercurrent of tasteless racial bias in a few of the posts that could undercut the future credibility of this blog spot.
2. Blog spots are not immune from slander/libel law suits. I would highly recommend that some of the people posting here think about the potential legal ramifications of their personal,
gossipy-oriented remarks and attacks on individuals.
I have a pretty fair amount of knowledge in this area from a legal standpoint. It would be difficult for the person claiming slander or libel to win a law suit against this blog, but do the people who run this blog website want to spend the money necessary to successfully defend themselves legally?
I think this blog spot is a great idea. But I also think it has potential to damage the reputations of IPS teachers if some of the racially charged and potentially slanderous/libelous dialogue continues.
I know of a political blog in an adjoining county that was forced to shut down because some of the people discussed in a gossipy manner were preparing to file a lawsuit.
A revamped "Mama's Family" kicks off in January with a new star, Mary Louise Bewley, who is an IPS look-alike for Vicki Lawrence.
ReplyDeleteCapturing the lead role for Barbara Bush in her upcoming miniseries "My Life in the Whitehouse" is Jane Kendricks who was spotted recently sporting a softer coif and wearing a single strand of freshwater pearls.
ReplyDeleteAny movie about IPS would have to include at least a short clip from "The Orient Express" transporting Drs. White and Johnson in search for teachers of Chinese.
ReplyDeleteI, too, find the use of the word "colored" in poor taste. I think it would be difficult to prove it libelous or slanderous. There are pretty high standards for proof and I have not seen anything on here that approaches that level. A lawsuit would require proving a statement is true or untrue and I don't think the Ed. Center elite want to get into that arena.
ReplyDeleteWe still have the NAACP, don't we? What would the NAACP have to say about 'colored' being used as a descriptor?
ReplyDeleteThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the largest civil rights organization for ethnic minorities in the United States.
ReplyDeleteI am a life member of the NAACP.....the term colored is used so that it applies to people of any color.........Remember the old children's sunday school song about "Jesus loves the little chilren, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white.......""
ReplyDelete...they are precious in His sight."
ReplyDeletemy daughter thought that children who were "red and yellow, black and white" must be plaid children somewhere....
ReplyDeleteIt most certainly isn't primarily the use of the term "colored" that could open this blog to a slander/libel suit.
ReplyDeleteGo back and take a look at some of the nasty personal attacks of people by name. It doesn't take the entire "Ed Center Elite" to file a slander/libel law suit. One person could do it and then the blog owner(s) would have to pay attorney fees to defend themselves. As was said before, this has already happened to a political blog in the Indianapolis area.
On top of that, if this is the kind of blog commentary commonly pursued here, it will hurt IPS teachers'images in the long run more than help them.
People other than IPS teachers are reading this blog since it has been publicized in the local news media. What conclusions are they going to reach about IPS teachers with some of the dialogue that has been going on here?
What would be more embarrassing is to discover that much of what is written about Eugene White and his administrative team is true. The truth shall set you free. I don't see one thing on this topic that could be remotely considered slander or libel.......give us an example of which comment you think qualifies for this lawsuit that you believe could be filed.....
ReplyDelete"The truth shall set you free." That is one Biblical reference that has been quoted by a commentor. Another I might mention is "judge not lest you be judged." There is a difference between criticizing/evaluating the ACTIONS of IPS officials and judging/condemning/mocking them in a personal way as human beings (and especially with racial references and overtones).
ReplyDeleteMy previous reference to the possibility of lawsuits is for content in multiple comment posts on a variety of blog entries I have read here over the past several days.
I've issued my caution, that's all I can do, and now I won't belabor the point by commenting any further about it.
That is because you are UNABLE to produce one example that might legally be considered libel or slander.........I do agree that we should be cautious how specific we get and avoid racist remarks. However, the Ed. Center does give a blog like this material on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness! you don't think that making allegations of affairs, "lookism", sexual orientation, the personal problems that people face, that they are lying about educational training, etc. could not be considered libel?
ReplyDeleteIt is not libel if it is true....
ReplyDeleteSomething can be true and still be classified as a "hate crime" however...also, I find it hard to believe that anyone could prove that many of the things written here are true
ReplyDeleteNow you are really stretching...what crime do you allege has been committed on this blog? Let some of those talked about get questioned under oath........
ReplyDeleteSorry to butt in, but it's the person making the libelous comments who would have to prove it wasn't malicious and made-up. People who post these kinds of things on this blog are silly because it wouldn't take a hack 5 minutes to figure out who they are (even if you don't post from a school computer, if you post from a computer that has ever sent an e-mail that has ever been forwarded to IPS, they could figure out who you are, if they cared enough to try) and it would be fairly easy to terminate employment and maybe even legally prosecute the people who have posted the libelous comments. I think the only thing that would make it defensible is that the overall tone of this board is so childish that it could be argued to be in the same category as calling someone a nose-picking doodie-head -- nobody takes it seriously, and the accuser looks worse than the accused. And no, I'm not from administration. I'm not even part of IPS at all.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that as part of the case, the person accused of libel would be able to put the complaining person on the witness stand under oath...and then the fun begins......Much of what is written here is true or partially true.....once you start peeling away the layers then it all comes out in the open.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that the health insurance increase for IPS teachers announced today will not only erase the "raise" that teachers received recently - it will cause them (those with family coverage) to lose several hundred dollars a year in income.
ReplyDeleteGuess teachers' families will be eating a lot of beans and rice this year and rationing out their health care, including mine.
I knew that was coming. There was no way that we were just given a raise with no strcing attached. My insurance will be going up by 34% after the new year. So much for my raise.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I meant strings, not strcing.
ReplyDeleteAt the time of the "raise" being announced by the IEA, they were basically pretty "mum" when asked about the issue of upcoming health insurance costs. As I understand it, the raise was negotiated with an agreement that IPS would not have to pay any more than it has been paying even if the insurance costs skyrocketed. Now we see why the union was so evasive when they banged the drum so loudly to celebrate a miniscule teacher pay raise.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me like the IEA used a smoke and mirrors approach to make teachers think they were getting a raise - when in fact the raise will be eaten up-PLUS by the major health insurance increase.
Union, be honest and upfront with us. We're intelligent people and know when we're being maniuplated and when facts are being distorted.
My family and I will be stretched beyond our means. If you go to the Indianapolis IEA website, there is a link explaining the insurance jump. It is depressing.
ReplyDeleteI think it would just be cheaper for me to not have insurance and pay the cost of whatever health care I need. I recently had to stay overnight in the hospital for a heart problem - the total cost of the stay was $2500 and I still had to pay nearly $1000. What's up with that?
ReplyDeleteApproximately 45 million Americans have no health insurance. It is time for Congress to address this issue.
ReplyDeleteI went to the IEA website and there is nothing regarding insurance. Where is it?
ReplyDeleteIt was on the website at the beginning of the year during bargaining. I apologize for being misleading. I find it rather strange that it is no longer on there. It was a PDF table that showed what we pay now, and what we will begin paying in January. It is a jump! I, too, have debated not having insurance. I was thinking about opening a separate checking account and having $50 a pay direct deposited into it for health related issues.
ReplyDeleteWe already make co-payments, our prescription plan is so-so, and the ER...forget it. I fear what is to come.
I have insurance for employee/spouse. My premiums were $155.00 per pay, then the big bruhaha over lowering them to $122.00. NOW, with the new increase, they'll be $170.90 per pay. This totally eats up my so-called raise.
ReplyDeleteI know it eats up our pay raise and I know our coverage is only so so but....we are lucky. We have a job and we have insurance. Millions of home foreclosures have happened because of medical bankruptcy of uninsured people. It sucks.....but we have something..
ReplyDelete"but....we are lucky."
ReplyDelete---------------------
Sorry, but I guess I do not share the feeling of being "lucky." Bachelor's degree, master's degree,multiple years of teaching experience - and salary and benefits not enough to keep my family out of the poor house.
I guess I'll be thinking about how "lucky" I am when my family has to declare bankruptcy!
If we are "lucky", then what do you call the employess in Central Office?
ReplyDeleteOver-paid?
ReplyDeleteHow about over-paid and under-qualified?
ReplyDeleteThen quit your job and go without income or medical insurance.
ReplyDeleteI realize that we are very luck to have a job, especially in this stinky economy.
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER, with the "marginal teacher" list hanging over our heads, and people hearing that they'll be "gone by Christmas," morale is definately a problem.
Then quit my job???
ReplyDeleteYes, that is the solution. Quit a job that I love doing, but is getting harder and harder everyday. Quit a job just because I am pointing out the fact that I have NOT truly had a raise in over 6 years because our insurance rates continue to increase. Quit my job (where I truly try to make a difference) because I have pointed out the fact that Central Office employees continue to get raises while those of us in the trenches are told over and over that we are inept at what we do.
You are an idiot.
I don't know. Maybe its because teaching wasn't my first career, but I kind of DO feel grateful for a good job in this economy. Everyone I know is getting laid off or taking pay cuts. Tax revenues are down. It's kind of self-serving to think teachers should somehow be immune. I do think it's b.s. that administrators are still getting raises and bonuses though.
ReplyDeleteand you...are a chronic whiner!!!!! I know how low morale is.....I work with it every day. I see how Eugene White and his mean spirited inept cronies have destroyed the heart and soul of IPS. I was trying to point out that as bad as things are that they could be worse. Our insurance coverage is mediocre but it is better than no insurance.
ReplyDeleteIt could always be worse, I do understand. But being a realist does not make me whiner.
ReplyDeleteWould you rather me "whine" and still work my butt off, or would you rather me quit and then you could pay for my insurance?
Just do like the rest of us do. Pay your insurance and work hard.
ReplyDelete