Northeast High to Danza

For some inane reason, I couldn't bring myself to write about our resident celebrity, even though we knew since August that he was coming.

Maybe its because I was sick of the media blowing out the Jon & Kate ordeal (who are not celebrities-- and thus should not be treated as such by tabloids-- ), or maybe I was afraid of the release/contract form we signed, which basically stated that I cannot talk about the show to anyone outside of ourselves.

But I feel that I should address it, because I've noticed a large number of parents (who, I'll repeat again, should not meddle in our education, ever), distressed and quite upset about having cameras in a classroom/school.

Tony Danza decided to play teacher for a while, about a whole school year I've gathered, at Northeast High School. He picked our school because, "it gives you a real look at urban education, and it gives you a look at middle America more than New York does."

(The pilot was shot in a NY school.)

I, on the other-hand, believe he picked us because we are safer than most Philadelphia schools, but real -- what with our intense school spirit and such. And if the production team had researched a bit, which I suspect that they had, they'd know that we had shot a documentary in 1968.

Danza is currently teaching one class of 10th grade English, for two periods. My younger brother is in it. He signed up for the class because he thought it would bring a little excitement for the Sophomore year. Everyone knows that being a Sophomore is pretty much the most boring and uneventful grade in high school experiences.

From what he told me, Danza is a fairly good teacher, and he's certainly following the District curriculum for English. Recently, they were studying myths, which I did in 10th grade as well.

I won't go further into the details of his class, such as his teaching methods, for fear of contract violations.

The whole student body's reaction to Danza was exhilarating ("Tony! Tony! Tony!"), opposed to the school's staff's-- namely the higher-ups. You could really tell that they're on the edge, first noted by how Lindenberg Carroll extra-sugar'd her words when explaining the new uniform policy's purpose to the Seniors, and then leaving promptly.

(Which, by the way, I am still aggravated about. "Best for you"? She never mentioned how. Not that time nor the assembly before that.)

When Danza spoke, he sounded like your average joe. He sounded genuinely bewildered.
(You'll see why he's so surprised when the show premieres on A&E during the Spring.)

Danza's presence is not yet significant in the school. Occasionally, we might spot him here or there, but we've gotten used to him by now and we haven't allowed ourselves to become completely star-dazzled. The camera/sound team are only about five people, maximum, and only one or two are with him at a time.

Recently, I've noticed that a lone cameraman would film transition scenes in the hallways. In an overcrowded school that mobs between bells, its amazing how the cameraman could be totally avoidable and ignorable.

In closing, I truly believe that there is no harm, even remotely, in this production. As I've said for Jon & Kate, I'll say this for Teach: Its not a reality show. Its a documentary.