Teach
08-28-2017, 10:26 AM
I'll post my picks in a little while, but first, a tale from the track.
Warning: The story on this page may cause drowsiness. Other possible side effects include eye strain and headaches. Caution: Reading these stories can become habit-forming. Some stories may appeal to the prurient interest. Reader discretion is advised.
"The Tail Wags The Horse"
Bay State Raceway. Hinsdale. Rockingham. Scarborough. Lewiston. Bangor. Yonkers. Vernon. Roosevelt. Freehold. Saratoga. Monticello. Batavia. Buffalo. I had them all marked.
Turn the clock back over fifty years. As a recent college grad., I was looking for a teaching job. I had decided I’d consider openings anywhere between Madawaska, ME and Cape May, NJ, and as far west as Buffalo. Yet, I must profess that any school system I interviewed with had to meet my own personal requirement — nearby harness racing. Yes, in those days of my “yute” (teens to early-to-mid 20s), I was a big harness racing fan (I’d later branch out to the thoroughbreds and casino gambling).
That spring, 1966, I recall interviewing with four school systems: Westerly, RI, Glastonbury, CT, Rochester, NY and Manhasset, NY. Each of those communities had excellent school systems; yet, for me, the burning question still remained: “Was there nearby harness racing?”
Well, I remember speaking with the representative from Westerly. I was impressed with their school system. Yet, there was no harness track within eighty miles. Next on the list was Glastonbury (south of Hartford). Their school system was known and respected throughout New England. However, the closest harness track, Yonkers Raceway, was eighty-five miles away. Then there was the interview with the Rochester, NY schools. I looked over the map. “Hmm,” I thought, “Batavia Downs isn’t too far away.” However, I wanted to complete all the interviews before I made my final decision.
The last school system on my list was a town on Long Island's "North Shore" called Manhasset (even to this day they have one of the best school systems in the country). At the time, I knew little about this New York City bedroom community, save for one thing (make that two), that there were harness tracks in the area and that the NFL’s Cleveland Browns running back, Jim Brown, had gone to high school there.
Before my job interview, I looked over the map of New York City and Long Island. As Artie Johnson of Rowan and Martin’s “Laugh-In” used to say: “Very interesting!” I quickly found Manhasset and the surrounding towns of Port Washington, Great Neck, and Roslyn. I then looked farther out “on the Island.” About ten miles to the southeast was Roosevelt Raceway. I then scanned in the other direction. I looked just north of New York City. There it was, right next to the New York State Thruway: Yonkers Raceway. I thought to myself, “Perfect!”
The day of my interview I went to my college’s placement center. I interviewed with the then principal of Manhasset High. We talked about all the usual teaching topics, yet the clincher came when he asked me how I had heard about Manhasset. If I were being perfectly candid, I would have said, “Isn’t Manhasset situated nearly equidistant between Yonkers and Roosevelt Raceways?” However, sanity prevailed and I replied, “I’ve heard that Manhasset has one of the finest public school systems on the East Coast.” I was hired that afternoon.
As I look back, those were wonderful times. I was living in Manhasset (later in New Hyde Park), teaching social studies, and going to the track three or four nights a week --- either Roosevelt or Yonkers. Yes, there were even times that I’d venture farther afield. On a few occasions, I trekked up Route #17 to Monticello Raceway, and on those August afternoons before school started, I’d cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, scoot across Staten Island, and head down to Freehold. On one occasion, I even made it as far as Brandywine Raceway in Delaware.
Well, after two years on Long Island, I decided to return to my Boston roots. I accepted a position teaching history at East Boston High School. Yet, even there, my racing prerequisite had been fulfilled. “Eastie” was only "a stone’s throw" from Suffolk Downs. In those days, Suffolk would run a harness racing meet during October and November. Many was the time I’d stay in school until late afternoon and then head over to Suffolk for an evening of racing. Yes, I’d even take in the flats. As for harness racing, several of the nation’s top reinsmen, Harry Burright and Bob Farrington --- to name just two --- would compete at Suffolk. The colorful Gil Levine called the races.
Yes, as I look back over five decades, when it came to accepting teaching positions, it was the classic case of: “The Tail Wagging The Horse.” Sure I was interested in the school system’s reputation, quality of education, and commitment to excellence, but even more important was the question: “Was it near harness racing?”
Warning: The story on this page may cause drowsiness. Other possible side effects include eye strain and headaches. Caution: Reading these stories can become habit-forming. Some stories may appeal to the prurient interest. Reader discretion is advised.
"The Tail Wags The Horse"
Bay State Raceway. Hinsdale. Rockingham. Scarborough. Lewiston. Bangor. Yonkers. Vernon. Roosevelt. Freehold. Saratoga. Monticello. Batavia. Buffalo. I had them all marked.
Turn the clock back over fifty years. As a recent college grad., I was looking for a teaching job. I had decided I’d consider openings anywhere between Madawaska, ME and Cape May, NJ, and as far west as Buffalo. Yet, I must profess that any school system I interviewed with had to meet my own personal requirement — nearby harness racing. Yes, in those days of my “yute” (teens to early-to-mid 20s), I was a big harness racing fan (I’d later branch out to the thoroughbreds and casino gambling).
That spring, 1966, I recall interviewing with four school systems: Westerly, RI, Glastonbury, CT, Rochester, NY and Manhasset, NY. Each of those communities had excellent school systems; yet, for me, the burning question still remained: “Was there nearby harness racing?”
Well, I remember speaking with the representative from Westerly. I was impressed with their school system. Yet, there was no harness track within eighty miles. Next on the list was Glastonbury (south of Hartford). Their school system was known and respected throughout New England. However, the closest harness track, Yonkers Raceway, was eighty-five miles away. Then there was the interview with the Rochester, NY schools. I looked over the map. “Hmm,” I thought, “Batavia Downs isn’t too far away.” However, I wanted to complete all the interviews before I made my final decision.
The last school system on my list was a town on Long Island's "North Shore" called Manhasset (even to this day they have one of the best school systems in the country). At the time, I knew little about this New York City bedroom community, save for one thing (make that two), that there were harness tracks in the area and that the NFL’s Cleveland Browns running back, Jim Brown, had gone to high school there.
Before my job interview, I looked over the map of New York City and Long Island. As Artie Johnson of Rowan and Martin’s “Laugh-In” used to say: “Very interesting!” I quickly found Manhasset and the surrounding towns of Port Washington, Great Neck, and Roslyn. I then looked farther out “on the Island.” About ten miles to the southeast was Roosevelt Raceway. I then scanned in the other direction. I looked just north of New York City. There it was, right next to the New York State Thruway: Yonkers Raceway. I thought to myself, “Perfect!”
The day of my interview I went to my college’s placement center. I interviewed with the then principal of Manhasset High. We talked about all the usual teaching topics, yet the clincher came when he asked me how I had heard about Manhasset. If I were being perfectly candid, I would have said, “Isn’t Manhasset situated nearly equidistant between Yonkers and Roosevelt Raceways?” However, sanity prevailed and I replied, “I’ve heard that Manhasset has one of the finest public school systems on the East Coast.” I was hired that afternoon.
As I look back, those were wonderful times. I was living in Manhasset (later in New Hyde Park), teaching social studies, and going to the track three or four nights a week --- either Roosevelt or Yonkers. Yes, there were even times that I’d venture farther afield. On a few occasions, I trekked up Route #17 to Monticello Raceway, and on those August afternoons before school started, I’d cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, scoot across Staten Island, and head down to Freehold. On one occasion, I even made it as far as Brandywine Raceway in Delaware.
Well, after two years on Long Island, I decided to return to my Boston roots. I accepted a position teaching history at East Boston High School. Yet, even there, my racing prerequisite had been fulfilled. “Eastie” was only "a stone’s throw" from Suffolk Downs. In those days, Suffolk would run a harness racing meet during October and November. Many was the time I’d stay in school until late afternoon and then head over to Suffolk for an evening of racing. Yes, I’d even take in the flats. As for harness racing, several of the nation’s top reinsmen, Harry Burright and Bob Farrington --- to name just two --- would compete at Suffolk. The colorful Gil Levine called the races.
Yes, as I look back over five decades, when it came to accepting teaching positions, it was the classic case of: “The Tail Wagging The Horse.” Sure I was interested in the school system’s reputation, quality of education, and commitment to excellence, but even more important was the question: “Was it near harness racing?”