David Press
It is difficult to write about George Trautwein after so many of you have painted the picture so clearly. I go back to Del Shortliffe’s description of Blind Brook in the early years and I feel like I’m there again – well – I am. The commons is still the commons and some of the old spirit remains but those were special times and George Trautwein was a huge part of it. There was this larger than life principal who loved to hire staff with strong and passionate beliefs in the possibilities of collaborative education. There were these spirited, energetic and young teachers who were not clock punchers but who equally were not time wasters and certainly not run of the mill teachers. A run of the mill teacher would feel out of his/her element at Blind Brook in the 1970s. With open classrooms, you experienced a piece of Reistetter’s astounding teaching, and the enthusiastic, focused, professional and humorous work of so many great teachers. Wow the social studies department’s factory production project, Metzler’s physics experiments, Cialfi’s amazing work every minute of every day, Daphne Dewey’s amazing Shakespeare analysis, Jim Spano’s energy, and the work of so many others. We were a family back then with Cora Lattanzio a major part of the dynamic family that we had. The family was created by the energy, attitudes and hiring of David Schein and supported by a lot of dedicated and involved families in the district – many of them represented beautifully in the writing in this Facebook group. The trips that were taken in those days showed the passion that Blind Brook had for the arts and music that led to the careers and life paths of so many of you who have written here. But it was the enthusiasm and love that staff brought to Blind Brook that really made it an amazing place for me to work and nobody brought more love and passion to his life or to his work than George Trautwein.
Even the great David Schein wanted to impress George and I love to share this story. George was at school early in the morning and David Schein would arrive after him. So, Dave would sit in his car listening to WQXR and when they announced that they were about to play Chopin’s nocturne op.9 no.2, as it started he would walk briskly up to his office wearing that impish smile and head into his office and immediately turn on the radio. After a minute with George Trautwein standing there next to Cora’s office you’d hear from Dave: “Hey George, isn’t that Chopin’s nocturne that they’re playing ……………….I think it’s the ninth, if I’m not mistaken.” Well, George would gush with what an educated, erudite principal we had at Blind Brook and Dave would be wearing his most mischievous smile when George would say things like that and George would read the smile as prideful and the whole scene would crack me up (not hard to do, you know).
I have one more story that is telling about George – many of you may have experienced this. I saw him in the hallway between the old main office and the boy’s bathroom once stop a boy who was having a conversation with a friend and George sounded something like this: “Would you repeat what you just said?” The boy repeats it and George says emphatically “Once more a little louder” and the boy repeats what he said once more. George then looks the kid right in the eyes and with his intense one-on-one focus tells him he has this tremendous voice with great tonal qualities and that he should join the chorus – there are a lot of boys in the chorus but we need more like you etc. etc.. Seeing how he was recruiting for his chorus amazed me but fits with everyone else’s descriptions of George as a purposeful educator, a force to be reckoned with, a passionate life force. I’ve missed him from the day he left Blind Brook. I miss him now and really miss those big beautiful hugs but I’ll remember him for the rest of my days. Thanks for everything George. You should rest in peace.
Comments:
Bil Johnson
Presto!! You crazy genius...how you capture so much of what was so wonderful.....and I think we need to remember David Schein here...who so loved and reveled in George's genius....
Del Shortliffe
Wonderful, Presto! And Wonderful Presto. Your stories are so precise and telling, and your heart is so large. And Wilbur--we talk at least once a month, and a part of every conversation includes a few minutes of gushing about those great days at young Blind Brook. Now it's in print. David, Bil, and Cora are right, too: Dave Schein should have had a FB page, too. Best principal of my whole career, without a doubt.
Suzy Lonergan Buffone
Hey Mr. Press - Here's a story I was just telling my girls a couple of weeks ago, you probably won't remember...for some reason I can't recall I brought my 3 year old nephew to BB one afternoon...I had your class after art and Shaun came along with me proudly carrying his pictures he painted..not to be outdone, you covered all the tables in the center of the room with paper and gave him a set of markers...my girls comment "wow...you went to a cool school, wish we could go there!!!"
It is difficult to write about George Trautwein after so many of you have painted the picture so clearly. I go back to Del Shortliffe’s description of Blind Brook in the early years and I feel like I’m there again – well – I am. The commons is still the commons and some of the old spirit remains but those were special times and George Trautwein was a huge part of it. There was this larger than life principal who loved to hire staff with strong and passionate beliefs in the possibilities of collaborative education. There were these spirited, energetic and young teachers who were not clock punchers but who equally were not time wasters and certainly not run of the mill teachers. A run of the mill teacher would feel out of his/her element at Blind Brook in the 1970s. With open classrooms, you experienced a piece of Reistetter’s astounding teaching, and the enthusiastic, focused, professional and humorous work of so many great teachers. Wow the social studies department’s factory production project, Metzler’s physics experiments, Cialfi’s amazing work every minute of every day, Daphne Dewey’s amazing Shakespeare analysis, Jim Spano’s energy, and the work of so many others. We were a family back then with Cora Lattanzio a major part of the dynamic family that we had. The family was created by the energy, attitudes and hiring of David Schein and supported by a lot of dedicated and involved families in the district – many of them represented beautifully in the writing in this Facebook group. The trips that were taken in those days showed the passion that Blind Brook had for the arts and music that led to the careers and life paths of so many of you who have written here. But it was the enthusiasm and love that staff brought to Blind Brook that really made it an amazing place for me to work and nobody brought more love and passion to his life or to his work than George Trautwein.
Even the great David Schein wanted to impress George and I love to share this story. George was at school early in the morning and David Schein would arrive after him. So, Dave would sit in his car listening to WQXR and when they announced that they were about to play Chopin’s nocturne op.9 no.2, as it started he would walk briskly up to his office wearing that impish smile and head into his office and immediately turn on the radio. After a minute with George Trautwein standing there next to Cora’s office you’d hear from Dave: “Hey George, isn’t that Chopin’s nocturne that they’re playing ……………….I think it’s the ninth, if I’m not mistaken.” Well, George would gush with what an educated, erudite principal we had at Blind Brook and Dave would be wearing his most mischievous smile when George would say things like that and George would read the smile as prideful and the whole scene would crack me up (not hard to do, you know).
I have one more story that is telling about George – many of you may have experienced this. I saw him in the hallway between the old main office and the boy’s bathroom once stop a boy who was having a conversation with a friend and George sounded something like this: “Would you repeat what you just said?” The boy repeats it and George says emphatically “Once more a little louder” and the boy repeats what he said once more. George then looks the kid right in the eyes and with his intense one-on-one focus tells him he has this tremendous voice with great tonal qualities and that he should join the chorus – there are a lot of boys in the chorus but we need more like you etc. etc.. Seeing how he was recruiting for his chorus amazed me but fits with everyone else’s descriptions of George as a purposeful educator, a force to be reckoned with, a passionate life force. I’ve missed him from the day he left Blind Brook. I miss him now and really miss those big beautiful hugs but I’ll remember him for the rest of my days. Thanks for everything George. You should rest in peace.
Comments:
Bil Johnson
Presto!! You crazy genius...how you capture so much of what was so wonderful.....and I think we need to remember David Schein here...who so loved and reveled in George's genius....
Del Shortliffe
Wonderful, Presto! And Wonderful Presto. Your stories are so precise and telling, and your heart is so large. And Wilbur--we talk at least once a month, and a part of every conversation includes a few minutes of gushing about those great days at young Blind Brook. Now it's in print. David, Bil, and Cora are right, too: Dave Schein should have had a FB page, too. Best principal of my whole career, without a doubt.
Suzy Lonergan Buffone
Hey Mr. Press - Here's a story I was just telling my girls a couple of weeks ago, you probably won't remember...for some reason I can't recall I brought my 3 year old nephew to BB one afternoon...I had your class after art and Shaun came along with me proudly carrying his pictures he painted..not to be outdone, you covered all the tables in the center of the room with paper and gave him a set of markers...my girls comment "wow...you went to a cool school, wish we could go there!!!"
