On September 24, this picture of Chairman Vincent Gray and Chancellor Michelle Rhee appeared on page B1 in the Washington Post metro section. It was taken following presumptive Mayor-elect Gray's 90 minute meeting with Rhee in what Gray called a "philosophical discussion" about public education. Supposedly Rhee's future with Gray's administration was not discussed. As the adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words suggests that a message can be conveyed with just a single still image. The title of the Post online article is "Rhee appears shaken after meeting with Gray." What is this picture saying to you?
44 comments:
To me, it says that karma is alive and well in our nation's capital. I hope it spreads far and wide.
Yes!! A picture is worth a thousand words. Chairman Gray appears to be relaxed and in total control.
From a counselor's perspective, Chairman Gray empasized to Rhee, Rhee, " I am the New Sheriff in town. Keep your mouth shut and keep it moving. I'm in the process of reforming the RHEEFORM!"
I did see her photo. Rhee looked more unstable and truly unconnected. It was as though she were in another place or zone. I have always felt there was an edge of instability/sociopathic behavior in her manner,that photo speaks volumes.
Gray looks very professional, competent and well focused. Rhee has damaged so many lives, has used a draconian process and formidible psychological fear tactics. She looks like a metaphor of the witch from the "wizard of oz" who seems to be melting.
Even Rhee's cheerleaders can't say that she looked fine. She was extremely agitated, couldn't keep her hands still and stood uncomfortably far away from Gray and the microphones.
It is obvious that Rhee can't handle situations where she is not in complete control and authority because her thinking is so rigid and constricted.
I agree with the instability and sociopathic look. What truly troubles me is that it reinfiorces, subliminally the fear of blackmen. She has this look like she's about to be assaulted or attacked. The fact that she faded into the background and slipped out to the elevators speaks volumes about her and her commitment to DC's children. On the other hand it looks like Gray is about to expose her for the fraud that she is.
Two Oprah shows in one week that featured Michelle Rhee and the crisis in American schools, and you have yet to comment on either? That's odd.
I paraphrase Arne Duncan's response to Oprah's question about if Adrian Fenty's defeat will signal an end to school reform. He said," Absolutely not. No one is going to allow the progress in the DC schools to be undone."
Candi, I know you disagree with my point of view, and for that reason, you will probably delete or moderate my comment. But I urge you not to.
Anonymous @ 11:01
I have not done a blog entry on Oprah's show or the crisis in public education due to a hectic work week and other matters which are piling up on my plate. When I write on matters such as these, I like to take the time to do my research which is more extensive than I am sure you are aware. While I got to watch the first Oprah show,I missed the second one unfortunately. Stay tuned as there will be a lot for bloggers to write about in upcoming weeks.
Candi- you dont need to apologize to anonymous.You have done more than most for public education just with this blog not to mention your other endeavors.I am sick and tired of politicians like Arne Duncan who want to suggest that DC residents don't want continued reform in public education. That's why the people voted for Gray. Duncan did absolutely nothing in Chicago and he needs to stay in his lane. Look at his track record there and talk to residents in Chicago.
I think this picture shows that Rhee finally realizes that she has made a mistake. I say this because not too long ago, I watched Rhee say on national public TV that she had never done anything in her entire life that she had regretted.
And now her flimsy house of cards, based on self-delusion and the mass fooling of others, has collapsed.
It must be devastating, to quote She-Who-Thought-She-Was-Infallible.
"Candi you know that I'm a BIG fan of The Washington Teacher's blog!! Thanks for enlightening us (non-teachers) on the counterproductive, drama you guys have to endure under Rhee's reign. I’m praying come November that Gray will have a highly effective superintendent to replace the highly ineffective, conflict-ridden Chancellor Rhee."
If I might offer some comic relief, I think the picture reflects Vince Gray having just told Rhee: "Take your #@%! a&% back to Harvard (or wherever)where you belong!!" Surely Mayor Gray is more diplomatic refined than that, but I can dream, can't I?
The picture says," I'm SOL!" What a ugly woman! Wow now I see why her soon-to-be-husband, will not commit to marrying this washed up loser. She needs to resign, now!
Last October, 2009 innocent girls were beaten and sprayed by cops and suffered severe trauma as they were only crying and just wondering why the adults at McKinley were being escorted out like hardened criminals. This pic looks like Rhee has had the same treatment in a different way but more powerful. You see, I believe that Rhee was never sent here for school reform instead, she was sent here to send an evil message to the black children during the thick of heavy gentrification and that message was that they are dumb, not wanted, to be afraid of the white skined people as they are more favored, your own race will turn on you and to get ready for slavery and or jail. Also to shatter the black child's dream of ever being important and doing great things. Now Rhee will go on to another state to send the same message to others. Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
I CAN'T BELIEVE RHEE APPEARS NERVOUS; MAYBE GRAY TOLD HER "I KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE; YOU BE QUIET UNTIL YOU PACK YOUR BAGS OR ELSE I WILL CALL YOU OUT. DO YOU HEAR ME!"
It is interesting how surprised Fenty, Rhee, and their supporters appear to be by the election results. The interjection of community into the conversation about education is invaluable. For more on that theme, see my blog at teachermandc.wordpress.com.
dcblogger here, I hope that we have not merely exchanged one education deformer for another
http://michigancitizen.com/bobb-plays-students-pay-p9034-1.htm
I think the picture says more than a thousand words. Keep up the insightful work Candi.
Real teachers, who become real assistant principals, who become real principals, who become real school superintendents never have that scared, indecisive, standoffish look she's suffering.
Cheers to the benefits of real educational experience.
One chancellor down, one to go. New York City Chancellor Joel Klink*, I sincerely want you to enjoy your warm fuzzy delusions about "Waiting For Superman" because they may not last very long. I mean, did you hear what happened to Michelle Rhee? She's plays a "chancellor" just like you right? And she was one of the stars of your movie right? Excuse my French, but damn Joel, she didn't even make it to the big premier yesterday in NYC and LA, before she was turned into a quivering bowl of jello standing next to the man who will fire her soon in DC. If you haven't heard about Sept. 14th in DC, the mayor that Bill Gates put in charge of the public school system, Adrian Fenty, got stomped in a re-election bid. I mean he got beat like a hedge fund manager trying to steal something from Sen. Perkins in the Big Apple! Go figure. Rhee, the "warrior woman", campaigned for him and everything. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Rhee like to mouth the same hypocritical blather you do about education being "the Civil Rights struggle of our generation" while overseeing a thoroughly racist public school system. You may want to retool that Newt Gingrich-ish slogan, paragon of the Civil Rights Movement that he is. It looks like people may be on to you folks. Rhee kind of made it easy. Just before the election she entertained her new teachers with a story about taping the mouths of Black children shut to keep them quiet. According to her, there was blood when the tape came off, but for some reason she wasn't arrested. It would have been off to the rubber room under your leadership right? And I know you are slicker than Michelle, all that CEO training, and you don't have any classroom stories to tell, because you've never set foot in a classroom, except to visit one of your precious charter schools and say hello to Eva (Moskowitz) or Geoff (Canada). But I digress, because I just have to tell you the most startling thing of all. D.C. is broken up into eight or nine wards for purposes of voting. In the wards where white voters are concentrated, four out of five supported Adrian Fenty. I mean Joel, those people love themselves some Bill Gates, some quisling mayor, and a chancellor who will tape the kids mouths shut and take a broom to the teachers. But listen, in the African-American wards, where parents actually have their children in the DC public schools, and where the Black teachers replaced by white Teach For America missionaries, they voted four out of five to run Michelle Rhee out of town! Joel, you do know that Superman is a fictional character? Ironically, he was a D.C. Comics creation. Seems like an omen maybe. You might want to check and see if there's a seat for you on Bloomberg's plane to Bermuda when Superman doesn't show up. The misspelling of CEO of Bertelsmann Inc. Joel Klein's name was an intentional act of ridicule and an homage to the long running TV series Hogan's Heroes. My apologies to the family of the late actor.
I think Rhee is thinking I can't believe this is happening to me.
Kick that B$%^& to the curb. This ain't the type of honeymoon she planned huh. Oh yeah, let me see you pay your mortgage while you hate to go to work Ms. Rhee.
Kick Rocks Rhee as you walk out the door.
Her looks reflects how over a thousand teachers she put out of work felt.
Rhee is saying, I can't believe this gig is up !
Given everything that she has said over the last three years I can't imagine a more humiliating situation for Rhee - and she looks just that, humiliated.
Teachers make the difference.
I had a single parent (on food stamps, no less) who did not have (or did not make) time to attend parent-teacher conferences. I never received help with homework. Not once. Sometimes, my homework did not get completed, because I did not have the home support I needed to get it done.
But I excelled in school. I graduated high school with honors, and I went to a top 50 college with a full need-based financial aid package.
What made the difference? My teachers. Sure, I had some bad ones. But I also had great teachers who did not use my home life as an excuse for not providing me with an excellent education.
Today, I am a teacher. A great one. All of my students get a high-quality education. Some have great home support, while others have none. Some even have parents who make my job harder. But it is, in fact, my job, and I do it with pride.
Teachers make the difference. They did for me, and I do for my students.
The question is what is this picture saying? Some here are digressing.
I think the picture shows Gray as confident and prepared to take on the challenge of mayor. On the other hand Rhee looks worried and uncertain about her future here in DC.
Why is she wearing a housecoat and carrying a schlepper? And did she forget to put on make-up as well?
Yes the picture speaks volume: they video clip speaks louder
SUPERWOMAN THE MINISERIES
THE MOMENT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR: THE WITCH BURNING IN HER ON FIRE
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/09/23/VI2010092304488.html?wpisrc=nl_buzz
Gray looks like a police officer announcing an arrest. And Rhee looks like the guilty party.
A lot of people were fooled by this woman, but I'm proud to say that I was not.
Keep on Truckin...
It looks like the time has come that one must move on....I remember someone saying teaching is not a career for life, well maybe this applies here.
Did you guys see Meet the Press today with Rhee, Duncan, Bobb and Weingarten aka AFT President?
I dont think we were well represented. I think we need a new President.
alert citizen - teachers don't blame kids for their home lives. They just are aware that what happens outside of school affects kids.
Everyone knows that - even Michelle Rhee - who just wants to blame teachers for things totally out of their control.
Sorry - I don't think you're for real. A truly good teacher couldn't be so insensitive and so egotistical to think she alone could have so much control over her students' lives.
He's standing straight with his hands in his pockets and a cool look on his face. I see a slight grin.
She is leaning to the side, clutching her bag, and pulling her hair back. Touching one's hair is often a sign of nervousness among women. She has placed a lot of distance between herself and him. She seems to want to escape. I have never seen her look like this.
My gut tells me that he really does have some information on her that he will reveal if she doesn't act right.
I asked a friend of mine who’s not from DC and knows little of the politics here to give me her take on the photo.
She said the woman in the corner just received a dressing down and seems to be on the verge of tears. The guy at the podium looks very self-assured.
Ms. Rhee is very smart, very smart in an unsophisticated way. You don't think the look, no make-up, dressy-dress and handbag were all calculated. Looks like big bad Gray beating up on poor Ms. Rhee. Don't believe the hype. There's no way this lady was thrown off course by this meeting, she would have been crazy not to have run through every scenario possible before the meeting as well as her advisors. They knew the press would be there and the photo would end up on the front page of the Post, sorry I'm just not buying that Ms. Rhee was caught off guard or the tears - for real!!!
It looks like Vincent Gray said somehing to the fact, I'm The Head Man in Charge. If you can"t abide by rules, let the door hit you where it counts. It was wonderful to see her looking like someone had spooked the hell out of her. It's not Halloween yet however, she looked as if she was shocked by the meeting which left her unstable and deranged. What goes around, always come back to you. She felt she was untouchable, always in control. Gray will give her a run for her money. She will not be able to stand the heat. So we will be able to say very soon , Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, Hey, Hey, Hey, Good-by!
anon at 4:18 -- I do believe that Rhee's handlers told her to keep quiet after the meeting with Gray - no matter what had gone on -- knowing full well that after her recent gaffes about the election, Rhee couldn't be trusted to say something printable.
What her handlers didn't count on was that Gray would upset her so and that her physical presence would give her away. I don't think that part was an act. That humbled demeanor not in her repertoire
Efavorite you have hit the nail on the head with your interpretation.
I agree with the poster who said that Randi Weingarten does not represent teachers well. She is a brilliant woman who undoubtedly is quick with the legal expertise but teachers need a spokesperson who can compete with the opposition in regard to public speaking. Let's hope NEA and AFT come up with a great speaker in the very near future.
From the Burbs- great article and comments on Rhee from Mike Durso. (Former Wilson Principal) Maryland requires credentials. Something the Chancellor lacks.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/09222010/montnew185639_32545.php
"Asked about the possibility of District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee for Weast's job, O'Neill and Durso declined to rule her in or out, but both highlighted what they called her rocky relationship with various groups in the District."
"Speculation has been churning about Rhee's future following the defeat of Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary by Vincent Gray, but Rhee has not officially indicated whether or not she plans to resign."
"I think in a nutshell, her style may have overshadowed whatever accomplishments that people think she's made," Durso said.
Rhee it's time for you and Fenty to fly away on your broom! LOL!
Hon. Scott D. Shellenberger
State's Attorney
Baltimore County, Maryland
Dear Scott D. Shellenberger:
The statute of limitations may well have expired in this matter but I feel it is a matter of conscience that this be reported to your office even now.
Sometime between the years 1992 and 1995, a teacher at Baltimore's Harlem Park Elementary named Michelle A. Rhee, placed masking tape over the mouths of 8-year-old students in her charge in order to quiet them. She herself reported that several of the children cried and were bloodied when the tape was removed.
Recently Ms. Rhee, who now serves as the Chancellor of the Washington, D.C. Public Schools, made a stunning public confession of her abuse of the children, albeit nearly two decades after the fact. This is conjecture on my part but possibly Ms. Rhee is aware of the statute of limitations in a crime of this nature. Or that because these were Black children living in poverty, Ms. Rhee feels they could be abused with impunity and the whole thing could be made into the opening joke of an after dinner speech.
Ms. Rhee testified to this before an audience of hundreds of people who will serve as teachers in the District's public schools this year. Just as a matter of curiosity have you been contacted by any of them? Unlikely it would seem, many of the new teachers inexplicably laughed at Ms. Rhee's cruelty. Probably filled with the white missionary zeal of the Teach For America kid. Or maybe just eager to please the boss, you think?
The following link to a Washington Post audio recording of Ms. Rhee's full confession is offered as potential evidence if you should seek an indictment.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/08/13/VI2010081305444.html
Andrew,
Two thumbs up!!
Great Post.
I'll sign on...............
Is the Karma being boomeranged back on us? I read that she is planning on firing 300 (starting with service providers) to fill a budget shortfall. Sounds like a repeat of last year. Will any of us make it to Gray's inaugauration with our jobs intact?
I asked a friend who’s not from DC and knows little of the politics here to give me his take on the pic.
He said woman in the corner just received a smack down and seems to be on the orge of tears. The guy at the podium looks very self-assured with his hands in frontal position.
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