Mark Robinson, our New Yorker of the Month, February 2007

Ask a New Yorker: Hi Mark. What do you do, either to pay your rent or your mortgage?

Mark: I’m a high school teacher at Freedom Academy High School, a public school in Brooklyn. It’s my first year there. Up until this year, I was teaching middle school in Manhattan.

Ask a New Yorker: What do you teach?

Mark: I teach what people commonly refer to as “special education”; a preface added to be politically correct, I guess. I don’t know.

Ask a New Yorker: So what are your thoughts of Mayor Bloomberg’s agenda and changes to the school system?

Mark: The changes to the education system in New York City in the last 3 ½ years, some things have been good, some things have been bad. To be more specific, as a teacher, definitely outside the class room things have become tougher. The principals have gotten more power, on the one hand. They have a little more responsibility to their higher-ups as well. I think that has been established. That does not always filter down in a way that is best for students. Definitely on the side, when we’re talking about labor issues and so forth, it’s not always best for teachers either. What Bloomberg has done very efficiently is that he has bought the teachers off. Every time he puts out these numbers for raises, teachers bite, without considering anything else. So I think that while some of our rights are being eroded, some of them maybe should be eroded, and some of them, maybe not. People are voting without realizing that sometimes. I think another thing that is happening, too, is the way the recruitment process is handled. It is not necessarily a positive thing. It seems to me that a lot of young teachers are brought in, again they are bought and are treated as disposable by the principals due to the new system. Then 2-3 years later, they’re out.

Ask a New Yorker: With all that said, what grade would you give Bloomberg thus far?

Mark: I’d give him a B, maybe in the lower realm.

Ask a New Yorker: Owner or renter?

Mark: Owner. My wife and I bought a co-op. So that means that we actually own shares in the building we live at in Brooklyn Heights.

Ask a New Yorker: Tell us about your neighborhood.

Mark: The neighborhood is fantastic as far as esthetics go. It’s calm, it’s peaceful for the most part. A little too quiet for my taste but on the other hand you feel safe there. There are really no complaints about the neighborhood other than the restaurants are not that great. (Editor’s note: agreed, the restaurants there are not that great, however, they have great bagels on Montague St. between Henry and Hicks)

Ask a New Yorker: Are you into sports?

Mark. I’m a Mets fan and I play soccer.

Ask a New Yorker: I’m not much of a soccer player, although I was the keeper in high school, but I’ve always wondered why these professional athletes need to over-dramatize, over -when they get touched, crying foul for no apparent reason. Does it take away from the sport?

Mark: I think it does at certain levels. Definitely it does, and when it’s constant, of course it does. Why do they do it? I don’t think they used to do it as much. If you look back 30-40 years ago it was always part of the game but not nearly as much as it is today. For one, it is done more is because of the camera, even though that catches them. They get the time on camera. Also the way the egos of individual players have been built up over the years there’s a sense of entitlement. Basically, they’re prima donnas.

Ask a New Yorker: Have you responded to a question on Ask a New Yorker recently?

Mark: Yes. I responded to a comment about if Hillary Clinton could win the presidential election, and the idea of her not being able to win was she has alienated too many people, which Red posted. Red is fantastic. I’ve always admired his advice. Absolutely. But in this case I disagree. I think he is jumping the gun because it’s only part of the story so far. For instance, imagine Hillary and Bill Richardson, who is now being considered as a possible running mate with Hillary. O.K., Bill Richardson is Hispanic, Latino….sorry, I don’t know which he prefers, & all of the sudden some people who may not have liked Hillary are going to vote for her, especially when they’re going to see what is on the other side. Possibly a John Edwards-Barak Obama ticket. Now Edwards/Obama vs Clinton/Richardson…now you have race as an issue. Definitely people vote for people who look like them when they’re not better informed. Sometimes that is still the best choice. Now those are two heavy weight tickets.

Ask a New Yorker: So if you’re right, who do you go with?

Mark: Edwards/Obama. I think Edwards has a better chance of winning for sure at this point. But Richardson, the Governor of New Mexico, was instrumental in bringing about a short term peace deal in Darfur. So he is really building up his resume and he is actually running for president, but pretty much it’s a play for vice president.

Ask a New Yorker: Anything else?

Mark: Yes, in my spare time what I like to do is jig saw puzzles with my wife. But there are no puzzle shops in NYC! Why the hell is there not a puzzle shop? And if there is, please let me know.

Ask a New Yorker: Thanks Mark . We will find you a puzzle shop.

View Archives >>