JR (12 page)

Because we ahm, this lesson in sixth grade social studies yes we wanted you to see this lesson in terms of structuring the ahm … and his pastel flurry indicated a map of the United States mounting in distended animation toward the templed splendor of the Stock Exchange to disappear in a whirr of lines, —opening with this resource film…

—Lost their loop, Mister Ford obliged rising in his maze of cameras.

—But you both ahm, Mister Gall yes you might want to see this next lesson in terms of a good deal less ahm, less unplanlessness than the one we've just…

—No I meant to ask though, that line over the main entrance here? in Greek? I thought, is it Plato? or …

—Yes well Mister Gibbs here might ahm, here she is now … he waved at Mrs Joubert's image as though she might wave back.

—You might try Empedocles.

—Oh … ? he juggled papers, book, pencil. —that's e? m… ?

—And if you could stay for the next studio lesson? came between them, —A re, resource program on, silkworms…

—I think it's a fragment from the second generation of his

cosmogony, maybe even the first…

—We're yes we're trying something new here the, combining the studio lesson with the classroom portion…

—When limbs and parts of bodies were wandering around everywhere separately heads without necks, arms without shoulders, unattached eyes looking for foreheads…

—The youngsters themselves become part of the teaching process for a truly meaningful learning experience utilizing the ahm, the youngsters themselves…

—Never read it? In the second generation these parts are joining up by chance, form creatures with countless hands, faces looking in different directions…

—In the third generation of course you begin to get…

—Yes well that doorway is ahm, I don't think you need to bother with the inscription there Mister Gall it's ahm, we're having the whole thing replaced that is to say … and he seized a hand extended from the maze of camera straps for any who cared to take it.

—That literature on closed-circuit systems I gave you there Mister Gall my card's right in it there, Hyde, if you want any more inforlook! Wait look there's my boy! the one, no that arm's in the way. There, that's his hand. See this boy in front in the diamond check sweater he's right behind him, see the arm sticking up?

The door banged hollow. The telephone rang. —Better just take that phone off the hook and leave it Whiteback, you're going to be flooded with calls from every jobless welfare retired freeloading jackass in the district who sits home and…

—But my office, my office is calling me back, said Mister Pecci through gum, —on this proposition thirteen…

—Wait Dan you, you're not changing that are you?

—It's this, just this resource program my wife…

—Yes well I think we ought to get back to that social service lesson there Dan looks like she's giving these youngsters a sense of real values, my boy there…

—Getting some feedback on that enrichment program you just

broadcast to half the world, Whiteback?

—That? on the phone? No, no it's that textbook salesman he claims he had an accident on the school property out there, he says Leroy signaled him right out that blind corner in front of a truck, one of those big asphalt trucks…

—He wasn't out there just now when they took her away, he …

—Who Dan took who away, where…

—To the hospital Miss Flesch they, didn't you know what happened? He was riding her over…

—Sorry to miss that, was she…

—Will you just let him tell it Gibbs? And this foulmouthed whoever this was that just took over her lesson how'd he get in there.

—Well I thought he, he tied right in didn't he? Yes I gave him the script and…

—Why didn't you just take the ahm, take on the lesson yourself Dan you had the script didn't you?

—Or Vogel, you could have grabbed Vogel couldn't you? Real masculine man's way of putting something over we just had him on here, his voice…

—Yes but you can't use Vogel live no those ahm, those scars yes that's why his lessons are all taped that is to say, voice over with models and visuals but his face, we got him from the New York City schools and ahm, and doing a very fine job of course but you can't use him live…

—But the lesson, the Mozart? Did, nothing went wrong did it? that could affect the testing I mean, it's all preprogrammed statewide…

—Yes well Dan he ahm, he departed pretty severely from the curriculum.

—But I heard he's in music I gave him her script and he, she set it up right from the teacher's guide he …

—Yes well they had some ahm, some technical difficulties Dan this program specialist from the Foundation pointed out several ahm…

—In simple straightforward terms Dan, you might say that he structured the material in terms of the ongoing situation to tangibilitate the utilization potential of this one to one instructional medium in such a meaningful learning experience that these kids won't forget it for a hell of a long time, how's that Whiteback.

—Yes well that's ahm, I think Mister Gibbs has put it quite clearly Dan of course…

—What he said about superstitious Italians, you heard that.

—I certainly did Senator, you heard that didn't you Gibbs? Mister Gibbs?

—Oh I certainly did Major, I …

—Well what are you sitting there with a, looking like you think something's funny about all this, you think our Congressman came all the way out here to be insulted?

—Know just how he must feel Major, that's your car out there Congressman? The white Cadillac with the bumpersticker that says keep God in America?

—Now look Gibbs…

—Didn't know he was trying to get out Major, that's all I … —Look Whiteback, this has… —Wouldn't blame him of course but… —Yes well I think what Mister Gibbs means is ahm… —All right then just tell me this, what about this report he's leaving under God out of his

proscribed openings, what about it Gibbs.

—Afraid I can't help you, it sounds a little more like Dan's…

—Dan's what I'm not talking about Dan's anything, I'm talking about a report that you use a proscribed opening for your class like the pledge of allegiance you leave out under God, one nation under God I'm talking about all these smart remarks you've been making, I'm trying to have a serious discussion with these Foundation people on closed-circuit broadcast and you butt in with arms and legs flying around somebody's eyes looking for their forehead what was all that supposed to be!

—He was asking about one of the preSocratics, Major, the rule of love and the rule of strife in the cosmic cycle of Emp…

—They didn't come here to talk about comic cycles look at this. Just one budget item, look at this. Camera, film chains, test equipment, videotape, needed to replace obsolete equipment prevent breakdowns and lost instructional time and improve lesson quality, ninety-two thousand four hundred and you think that's a comic cycle? The taxpayers what do you think they think it is!

—That pail Major be, be careful yes of course the ahm, that lintel over the entrance I think Mister Gibbs was explaining the lettering over the ahm, the Greek letters that is to say since of course he's the only one who can ahm, who suggested that solution to Mister Schepperman's unfortunate ahm, of course since he recommended Mister Schepperman to us in the first place yes or was it Mister Schepperman who ahm, who's no longer with us that is to say yes he's probably just ahm, probably still…

—Been selling his blood for money to buy paint.

—That's disgusting Gibbs, sounds like somebody you'd bring in, now

let's get back to this budget…

—Why because his work, because he thinks one painting's worth more than his own…

—Fine let him! Who asked him to paint it anyhow!

—That's the point, Major. Nobody.

—What did she say? what stock?

—But without them where do you get art.

—Get it? Art? You get it where you get anything you buy it, listen Gibbs don't try to tell me in this day and age there isn't enough around for everybody great art, pictures music books who's heard all the great music there is, you? You read all the great books there are? seen all these great pictures? Records of any symphony you want reproductions you can get them that are almost perfect, the greatest books ever written you can get them at the drugstore your friend here selling his blood he's crazy that's all, like the one that just enriched the countryside here with the Mozart, pick up the paper the only time you read about them they're making trouble for somebody, for themselves or somebody else that's the only time you hear about them.

—The only time you hear about anybody.

—What do you mean do I go around with narcotics signing petitions painting slop writing books full of dirty words with a beard? They just want something for nothing half of them are crazy anyhow what about the one he just said he was afraid his head would fall off? Or your big name painter that cut off his ear what about him.

—But that's what I said, without them where do you get the…

—Wait be quiet!

—Yes well of course we don't really ahm…

—Look that's my company! Did you hear that? They're buying a share in my company Diamond Cable did you see that? That's my company… !

—I saw it, from the show of hands it looked like they wanted to buy the …

—The what Gibbs, the what. The show of hands you didn't even see it, you've been standing there trying to look down her dress they bought what they wanted to buy. You saw it Whiteback?

—There did you hear that? Corporate democracy did you hear that Gibbs? This share in America it's my company they just bought a share in my company, I didn't get where I am slopping paint on the floor and cutting off my ear either run this school system along corporate lines Whiteback you'd have these strike threats complaints over harassment cleared up in no time, you'd…

—Yes well of course Vern ahm, I don't think Vern would…

—That's what they're whining about isn't it Dan? this harassment?

—The, the yes the directives the forms, the rules, regulations,

guidelines…

—Yes well of course the ahm, you teachers get them from me, I get them from the District Superahm, Vern that is to say yes and he gets them from…

—Start an investigation find out who's behind it, the…

—The harassment?

—No behind the complaints, the…

—And of course we all get them from the state and the state gets them from the federal education office in …

—The complaints?

—No the directives that is to say, guidelines, forms, regulations, Title Four…

—Title Four's a hell of a big investment the government's just protecting their investment see it at the corporate level all the time, that's what you're…

—Yes well of course we ahm, in terms of the ongoing situation in order to correlate the ahm, correlations Dan you can ahm…

—The, the correlations the correlations require standardization which, which requires standards…

—Go ahead Dan I'm listening, just let me get Whiteback's phone in there…

—The standards yes establishing the standards in, just in the scoring area, some of the cards they have holes punched in them that don't make any sense at all, on these tests for instance the ones to classify potential failures…

—Good, get them early. Hello? Weed out the bad risks… what… ? he listened, spoke a crude syllable into the phone and laid it ranting on

the desk. —Father Haight over at the parochial school letting us know they didn't miss anything, lift your lessons right off the air and…

—When a boy that boy with the cap pistol, when he scores top on the music math index and then you check up his holes and find they don't fit…

—Yes well of course he's ahm, all we can do that is to say is to ahm…

—Send him back to Burmesquik.

—What was that Gibbs? Hyde sank back on the desk corner, where the telephone miniature continued to rant into his trouser pocket.

—I said maybe he hears a different drummer, Major.

—Nothing pansy about that, my boy's as good on the drums as he is on trumpet. You've got a hole in the seat of your pants there too, Gibbs.

—Too? like this boy with the cap pistol? He launched a sudden step backwards, —let him step to the music which he …

—Look out!

—My, God…

—What was in it!

—That, that Leroy that idiot Leroy… Whiteback snatched up a blue cuff in a quick two step, —he brought the whole pailful to show me