Hi, Joe,
I definitely believe I was positively influenced by both the good teachers and the bad.
I became an English teacher because I admired many of mine, namely Mrs. Gouse. Eventually, I became a high school guidance counselor in part, because of Mrs. Whitney's influence and encouragement. Others whom I admired included Mrs. Housman (Spanish), Mrs. Fahey (she scared me because math was not my best subject), Mr. Macio (history), Mrs. Harmann, and Mr. Levatino who was very kind.
Some of the forum contributors are a bit harsh characterizing the teachers and counselors. Don't criticize until you've "walked a mile in my shoes." I've been both a teacher and a guidance counselor (15 years of each position) and I know from experience that teaching and counseling are not an easy jobs. He/she can become frustrated when confronted with lazy students, demanding and enabling parents, and a myriad of duties of which the average person is unaware.
Most of today's counselors are better informed about students' choices. College tours for counselors are very informative and assist the counselor in guiding their students. Counselors are now knowledgable about specialized career and technical schools, vocational schools, school to work programs, and other options. I would never have suggested to a student that they were not college material, but truthfully, in some cases I recommended for those with low rank and SAT's to start at a community college and later transfer to a four year college. The biggest obstacle for many students in this category are parents who think their child is Harvard material. And you know what ( and I learned this from my own son), college is NOT for everyone. Like my son who tried and retried college, some students don't like academia. That's it. Why beat a dead horse? Besides, many college graduates can't even find a job. My son had always wanted to be a home builder (just like the grandfather he never knew) and today he is a successful general contractor who is skilled, conscientious, and a good business man. I am so proud of him and I often referred to his journey from high school to his eventual success as an example to a few of my students and their parents. My candor made them feel better, I know. My daughter did go to college ( The University of Delaware) and taught in Belmar Elementary School for 8 years before becoming a mother last September. She was an excellent teacher, although she became frustrated by many of the things I mentioned earlier. I don't think she's going back to that career.
When we're not in a particular profession, we shouldn't criticize what we don't know about it. Certainly, there are bad teachers as there are bad doctors, lawyers, priests, senators, salesmen, and (should I go on?) Somehow we hold teachers to a higher standard as though they were superhuman beings who automatically inspire their students and devote endless hours in and beyond the classroom devoted to their students. Like any profession, a teacher should be skilled in his/her subject, like children, and positively influence them by setting good examples. I think most teachers TRY to do those things. Some succeed and some do not.
As far as Hawthorne's influence on my character, I think it had a part in my personal and professional development. [/color]s
Joe Ippolito wrote on Jan 14th, 2009 at 8:41am:Kevin:
Thanks for your response. My cousin graduated from Bergen Catholic in 1962, and one of my college classmates was a 1963 BC grad. While I had an understanding of how Bergen Catholic operated, I certainly learned a lot more from your reply.
I think I wasn't so much trying to compare the curriula among the schools I mentioned, as I was trying to suggest that each school to which I referred probably has some excellent points and some low points (or, at least some "not so excellent") points. I think it is sometimes easy to criticize the known and lionize the unknown. So, we of HHS may be harsher in our opinions and views concerning HHS than others might be.
And, of course as an old codger, perhaps my memories have been affected by notalgia and the unwitting desire to remember the good and forget or repress the bad.
In any event, I suppose the question I posed could be asked differently: Did all of us who have been successful become so with the help of or in spite of HHS? And, even more importanly, as you and others point out so well, should we also add into the mix the notion of "growing up in Hawthorne." That is, should we include in our considerations the common culture that all of us experienced (albeit at different times). It is probably naive of me to try to look at HHS as the single preparatory thing that shaped our futures and our career choices and successes. The town (oops, borough) itself provided an atmosphere that also had to have helped shape each of us.
Regardless of the disparate views expressed by those who post to the Hawthorne High School Forum's various threads, we share a common heritage, and we demonstrate (to my way of thinking) a very rich mixture of ideas, views, and perspectives -- which rich mixture I believe did not begin after we left Hawthorne, but saw some of its formulation in Hawthorne and in the halls of Hawthorne's schools (public and parochial)
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