It’s emotionally and psychologically healthy for Mayor Michael Bloomberg to love himself.
But why does this man with such a healthy self love have such a hard time hiding his contempt? That’s the question on the minds of many parents and educators who take issue with the way the mayor has ruled schools these past nine years.
Bloomberg thinks the recent New Yorker Valentine cover, showing him looking lovingly at his own image in the mirror, is “cute.” The drawing shows him blushing as he engages in self-admiration. There are three hearts hovering over his head. An open box of chocolates in a heart-shaped box bears a note saying: “To me.”
Now there’s nothing inherently wrong about the mayor liking himself provided he shows some affection or love for others. If he is OD-ing on hubris, that cannot be the case.
The Mayor, who appeared on a WOR radio show, says: “I like what I see in the mirror, and I hope everybody here does.”
One person who isn't quite as fond of the hizzoner is Leonie Haimson, the parent leader who heads Class Size Matters.
She says “the Mayor criticized parents and said ‘This is not democracy.’ It surely is not. Parents and their children have suffered for nine long years under a system that is profoundly undemocratic, with no checks and balances, in which the Mayor and his appointees…have acted like petty dictators, ignoring everything we have to say.”
Haimson intensified her attack when she spoke to me: “The Mayor is so out of touch. He’s scared. He has no idea how much he’s damaged our educational system. Parents are treated like garbage.”
A few months ago, Bloomberg met with reporters from The Villager and other local newspapers. “Parent involvement ,” he said, “should not be parent control. We have professional principals, administrators and teachers---experts. They should design the classroom.”
A parent, he said, should only be involved in micro issues like a child’s attendance, behavior and grades.
This is pure hokum. When Albany gave the Mayor control of the school system, it was with the understanding that he would work to improve our schools. If he doesn’t think parents should be involved, who should be? Some bureaucrats at the Tweed Courthouse with the poor parents out in the cold, hoping for the best?
The parents need to know what’s going on, It’s not his school system. It’s theirs.
It's time to spread the love around.
