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When I was in high school oh, about 14-18 years ago (1993-1997), I met the best teacher that I have ever had, Mr. Riemer. When I think about my favorite teachers, nobody else even comes remotely close.
I went to a public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. It wasn't the worst school in the district by far, but it was far from the best, too. My first year there, when I was in 9th grade, there was a "race riot" when I was about 14. A kid I knew got his jaw broken with a crowbar. No kidding. It was my first exposure to "race relations."
I don't know how it happened, but somehow I ended up in a new program called "Humanitas." It wasn't anything overly complex, but unlike the schedule for most students, a majority of our classes were interlinked and inter-related. So for example, what we were learning in science class related to what we were learning in English, which related to what we were learning in history. We didn't have "homework," but we wrote. A ton. Looking back, a fantastic program until word got out over a couple years that we didn't have homework and a bunch of jerks signed up. But I digress. The cool thing, looking back (although maybe not so cool at the time) was all the teachers of our classes were aware of our progress--they planned our classes together and made sure we learned as much as possible. Not too shabby. I learned quite a bit, even if I was a little jerk at the time. After getting into Cornell University, I am highly appreciative.
Anyway, back to Mr. Riemer. He was the best. You could tell that he genuinely cared about what each of us learned and our progress in our education, inside and outside of the classroom. I was a little shit. Even though I am taller now (ha) I was about a whopping 5 foot 4 with a massive chip on my shoulder. I used to get into fistfights all the time. It was Mr. Riemer who pointed out how dumb that was, even if I was too young and dumb at the time to fully understand it. I give him a lot of credit for turning me into the anti-war pacifist that I am today. I remember being in a particularly squirrelly situation with some dudes and going to him to ask what I should do, and I remember him talking me totally through it, taking the time to offer genuine concern and advice. At no point did I ever sense that he wanted to get out of there--he always took the time to listen. He is/was the genuine teacher that you always wanted to have, and a true definition of the word teacher. Years later, I have never forgotten, and I have no doubt that I ever will. I have no doubt that over the course of his life, he could have earned a significantly higher amount of money based on his skills, but it was perfectly clear that he really, really cared about the job he did. And as a young student, what more could you ask for?
I remember a highly dramatic situation where another little shit decided he wanted to fight me. I really didn't want to, so I skipped school. When I returned, all the kids in our class were hyping the fight up. (As kids do.) I ended up getting into a little scrap "AFTER CLASS!" and I am still somewhat proud of the fact that I beat the jerk up for picking on me. After we were separated, Mr. Riemer happened to be strolling down the hallway, and as he was walking in the hall, after the skirmish, this other kid totally cheap-shotted me. I don't know if my memory serves me correctly but I seem to remember Mr. Riemer dragging the asshole off of me and yelling "THAT'S NOT RIGHT! YOU DON'T DO THAT!" which essentially ended the fight. Due in large part to the huge chip on my shoulder growing up, I didn't have the easiest time in high school--but throughout my whole time there, I always knew that I had at least one adult ally in Mr. Riemer that I could go to with any problem. I didn't have to ever feel bad about bringing up an issue to him, because I knew that this amazing public school teacher genuinely cared about not only my well-being, but also that of countless other students. In hindsight, that's a pretty special thing.
Another vivid memory was on one random day, slowly filtering into his classroom. As I recall, we had a big paper due, and I don't think anyone was particularly looking forward to class. Normally, Mr. Riemer was a really fun, outgoing guy, but he was very quiet as he walked into class. I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure that there was some sort of school shooting or school violence that has resulted in a front-page story in the Los Angeles Times.
Mr. Riemer walked into class, and although we were expecting to discuss some sort of literary brilliance, he slammed about a dozen copies of the newspaper onto the table, and told us to grab/share a copy. He directed our attention to the story, and said "What do you guys think?" This led to a class-long (55 minute?) discussion. I will always remember that as the one class period in all of my high school experience that taught me the most. He encouraged us to share our opinons; to examine the story and talk about what it meant to us and what we thought about it. Man, he was awesome.
**
Fairly recently, we became friends on Facebook. (Who would have thought?) I was very excited about trying to hang out with him so many years later. We went to a place in North Hollywood, and he bought me a cheesesteak, and we shot the shit. It was really great to get to spend time and great conversation with him so many years later. He seemed so thrilled to hear my stories of where I had been and where I was going, and on a scale of 0-100 with full sincerity being 100 and not truly giving a shit being 0, he was a 110. I thoroughly enjoyed that day we got to spend together.
Later that night a fellow HS alum who now lived in Seattle and another friend from Los Angeles and I met up for a mini-reunion and drinks. At one point, I said something along the lines that I "got to spend some time with my favorite teacher ever" and before I could continue both of the friends I was with instantly said, "Mr. Riemer??"
We shared stories of our experiences with him, and it was a great end to the night. Even decades later, we realized that his influence still remains strong with us. To this day, he teaches at our Alma Mater. He is an advisor to the students who run the school newspaper.
***
Why am I writing this diary? Well, of course there is a motive.
See, since I am Mr. Riemer's friend on Facebook, I am aware that he has launched a blog called You need Schooling. It's a simple Wordpress blog, but the content is fantastic. My humble request is that fellow Kossacks might check it out, leave a comment here, and maybe even leave a comment on his actual blog. (If you've ever posted a diary, you know how fun it is to read comments!) For all the work he has put into the blog, he deserves feedback. And I promise, he is an absolute expert on urban education and the insane Michelle Rhees of the world.
I truly believe that Kossacks concerned with education in America, and particularly those of us interested in urban education and the effects of national and state policies, would really enjoy his blog where he showcases his expertise. Ultimately, my hope is that if he can get enough feedback and support, he might become a Kossack and repost his entries here so that any Kossack interested in education could easily check them out and comment and/or hopefully recommend them. His writing is spot-on and amazing. Kids in LA who take his classes have no clue of how lucky they are...but one day, I promise, they will.
I'm still not fully versed in DK4, and I imagine that there are education groups. If someone involved with any of them could repost this or post them to the groups (I don't know how it works exactly) it would be much appreciated. Not for mojo for me, but for attention for everything he does.
I fully promise that he has zero clue that I am even writing this. But it is, at a minimum, the least I can do to give a little something back to a man who truly changed my life for the better.
Yes, of course it is shameless, but I am down to take that risk. Please recommend for Mr. Riemer, please comment, so that I can share this post with him. He deserves it. I would love nothing more than to turn him into a Kossack so that he can share his thoughts on American urban education in this forum.
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Originally, months ago, I intended to blockquote some of his writings. But instead, tonight, I am asking you to visit his fantastic educational blog at C.V. on his awesome incredibly informative blog. Since he has the link posted on his blog, I hope to seek forgiveness rather than permission for posting it here.
Instead of taking clips from his blog and posting them here, I feel that it is more appropriate (especially if you have read this far) to post the About section of his blog, with the hopes that you will check it out...start from the beginning of his posts, and work your way up. He is a genius, and I am sure if he ever sees this he will grant me fair use:
Our mission is modest: to save public education in America from the forces of profitization, privatization and non-civic-minded greed and depravity; we aim to reclaim our schools from the educrats, the eduxecutives, the educcountants and the legions of Wharton MBA-toting miscreants and reprobates who are more interested in bottom lines than students.
Welcome to my new education blog. I am a veteran teacher in the second-largest school district in the U.S. (See my c.v.) This is a site I have long meant to launch, and the ongoing onslaught against public education that we are currently experiencing compels me to step up my schedule and commence to posting, linking, exchanging and opining on matters dealing with the largely mythological “crisis in public education.” Which brings me to a first principle: The crisis in American public education is largely manufactured by people who would likely never set foot in a classroom, and whose greatest interest in students is their potential as a revenue stream.
The crisis in American public education is largely manufactured by people who would likely never set foot in a classroom. It is an anecdotally derived urban myth masquerading as a data-driven inevitable conclusion.
So, welcome to youneedschooling. I am your host, and I will regularly regale you with tales told out of school. I will be adding other features as time goes on, including contributions from other educators. Please contact me “if you have an amusing anecdote, an unusual story” that you would like to throw in the hopper.
Come back soon and often. Look for week-long (more or less) seminar series, links to news stories and resources, as well as an ongoing feature, “The Kids Are Alright.” Read excerpts from my book-in-progress, I Wouldn’t Do That:Lessons Learned From 30 Years in the Education Game. Find out about the mysterious BIG PROJECT.
Our mission is modest: to save public education in America from the forces of profitization, privatization and non-civic-minded greed and depravity; we aim to reclaim our schools from the educrats, the eduxecutives, the educcountants and the legions of Wharton MBA-toting miscreants and reprobates who are more interested in bottom lines than students.
Join us, won’t you?
Taken the last time we got to hang out, years after HS
Thank you so much, Mr. Riemer, for the vast influence you had on my life. I would never have become the person I am today without you.