Would you let Tony Danza teach your kid?

[snopes]

There's a (mildly supported) urban legend that, whenever possible, Tony Danza's TV characters were intentionally also named Tony because he was easily confused. The evidence comes from the five identically named men he played on "Fast Lane Blues," "Taxi," "Who's the Boss," "Hudson Street" and "The Tony Danza Show."

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/popwra...5yoRedgJf1uH8M

[WonkoTheSane]

Dunno whether it's true or not, bit definitely think they should have come up with a better name for his character when he was on The Tony Danza Show. I mean, that was just one too far.

And my personal experience in high school is evident proof that you don't have to be smart to be a teacher.

Seriously, though... is this man actually qualified to teach?

Wonko

[Mateus]

There are only three things I'd let Tony Danza do:

1. Hold me closer
2. Count the head lice on the highway
3. Lay me down on sheets with Lenin.

[wanderwoman]

Here's what his web site says:

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Danza received a wrestling scholarship to the University of Dubuque in Iowa, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in History Education, a degree he didn't actually get the opportunity to put to use professionally until this year.

It doesn't say anything about certification, but I assume he would have had to get that in order to teach?

ETA: His wikipedia page says "he was said to score a near perfect SAT score", but no citation for that.

[Auntie Witch]

I have seen teachers who were fully certified and couldn't teach a paper bag to be brown, and I've seen people without a lick of formal education that could have taught a four year old rocket science.

Teaching is an art, more than anything.

[Avril]

A whole lot of teaching lies in "performing" for the class. And learning lines shows that a person has at least baseline intelligence and ability to remember things. Beyond that, he is qualified and educated. And from the trailer, it looks as though at least some of the kids appreciated him.

I would, yes, allow Danza to teach my kids, if I had any. I'd like to sit in on a class or two, myself.

[Auntie Witch]

Originally Posted by Avril

A whole lot of teaching lies in "performing" for the class.

You're right about this. There are days I feel like I didn't teach, I acted all day. You need to know how to entrance an audience in order to be a successful teacher.

[snapdragonfly]

What Auntie Witch said.

From what I have been told from various people who have gotten their degrees from various colleges, many education degree curriculums are real light on the art of teaching and classroom management and more about the subject matter they will be certified in.

I think it's a skill that probably can be taught even to people who didn't or wouldn't figure it out intuitively, but, there still has to be an aptitude for it, which not everyone will have. And if there isn't a good program to teach these skills, then teachers who don't have them intuitively or don't luck into doing their internship with someone really brilliant, are going to have a few really rough years (as well as their students) until they learn by experience.

~ and about entrance - it's all about heading them off at the pass. If you aren't prepared for how to herd them before they even get there, it's all downhill from there! It totally is about keeping the interest and control of a group, otherwise you can't get that information to them in the first place.

[franjava]

There's a (mildly supported) urban legend that, whenever possible, Tony Danza's TV characters were intentionally also named Tony because he was easily confused. The evidence comes from the five identically named men he played on "Fast Lane Blues," "Taxi," "Who's the Boss," "Hudson Street" and "The Tony Danza Show."

Or the fact that he's Italian and, of course, ALL Italian-American men are named Tony. DUH!!!!!!

[Artemis]

Question--what if the kids he's assigned to teach don't want to appear on television? Do they get the option of being in a different class?

[Auntie Witch]

The parents have to sign a release. No release, no class with Tony. I can't submit a photo of a kiddo to the newspaper without the release, or even post one in the hall.

ETA: The photo release is part of our beginning of year paperwork for all families.

[Lainie]

A photo release form was always part of DD's yearly school paperwork, too.

[Artemis]

Oh, good.

I feel bad for the kids in situations where the parents are the ones thrusting them into the limelight, though. That's not happening here, but since watching Real Housewives NJ, it's one of those things that's often on my mind...

[TrishDaDish]

Originally Posted by franjava

Or the fact that he's Italian and, of course, ALL Italian-American men are named Tony. DUH!!!!!!

Wrong. Half are named Tony. The other half is named Vinnie. Not that my grandpa's name is Vinnie and he rants about how unItalian the Italians cooking on tv are. Please don't get me started. We'll be here all week.

[Artemis]

No, they're all named Peter or Paul and they're all married to girls named Marie!

[GenYus234]

Originally Posted by TrishDaDish

Not that my grandpa's name is Vinnie and he rants about how unItalian the Italians cooking on tv are. Please don't get me started. We'll be here all week.

Does Clemenza's cooking in The Godfather meet with his approval? Because every time I watch the scene in the safe house after Vito Corleone is shot it makes me hungry for Italian food.

[Avril]

They are also allowed to be named Mario, aren't they? But Tony Danza just doesn't look like a Mario.

[TrishDaDish]

Does Clemenza's cooking in The Godfather meet with his approval?

I'm sure it does. Greep complains about the cooks on tv, there's one Italian lady on PBS he always gripes about in particular, because she uses olive oil. Greep seems to have this tremendous mental block with olive oil. As in "We never used olive oil! Why dey gotta use... (yadda yadda yadda)". Then there's the sauce story he always says - admittedly, his family was growing up during the Depression - and then... HEY! I told you to not get me started!!!

Originally Posted by Avril

They are also allowed to be named Mario, aren't they? But Tony Danza just doesn't look like a Mario.

Besides if you look here (IMDB) he has played characters of various names.

[Avril]

I downloaded the first episode from iTunes (it was free) and watched it, and although I think they're definitely doing a predictable story arc, I found "Mr. Danza's" experience as a new teacher really relatable (especially the part where he says, "I don't know what he was trying to tell me, other than that I gave a bad speech." Sigh. "I already knew that." )

I also love how he has an antagonist in the super-smart kid. No, those of us who teach (whatever we teach) do not necessarily love the know-it-alls. Many of them can drive us crazy. And Monte? I think I've had Monte in a few of my classrooms.