Tony Danza releases book about teaching public school for a year, Star persevered after his show ended to show kids how important it is to get a good education. Tony Danza with his new book, ‘I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I’ve Ever Had.’ Give Tony Danza extra credit.
When the cameras stopped rolling halfway through the school year for his short-lived reality show “Teach: Tony Danza,” the 62-year-old actor didn’t walk out on his 10th-grade English students at Philadelphia’s largest public high school.
As a first-year volunteer teacher separating from his wife of 20-plus years, the “Who’s the Boss?” star was determined to finish what he started, no matter the challenges.
And there were many, as his book “I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had” (out Tuesday) recounts.
“There are very few things that are harder than being a teacher in any public school in America,” Danza tells the Daily News. “It’s a job that requires total commitment at the expense of just about everything else in your life.
“A teacher needs to be a lot of things to these kids — not only an educator, but a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, a best friend and a social worker. And a lot of teachers aren’t prepared for that. They come to teach the curriculum and inspire kids who want to learn, but there are a lot of kids who have a lot of difficulties that keep them from learning.”
You might think that teaching would be easier for a celebrity. Not so, says the Brooklyn native.
“These kids were born two years after ‘Who’s the Boss?’ went off the air,” Danza says. “They knew I was somebody because of the TV cameras, but they hadn’t seen any of my work. One student said, ‘Wasn’t he in ‘Cheers?’ ”
But less notoriety actually helped Danza develop his teaching philosophy.
“The big thing is to try to find a way that the lesson connects with the students’ lives so that it becomes relatable to them,” he says. “Everything is a life lesson. ‘Julius Caesar’ teaches friendship. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is all about making the best of a bad situation. When I was in school, I couldn’t understand why any of this mattered to me.”
As indicated by the title of his book, Danza is very aware of the irony in becoming an educator. After all, he was a subpar student at Malverne High School on Long Island.
“I was a student who didn’t take advantage of my education,” he says. “I charmed my teachers and just did as little as possible to get where I wanted to be, instead of respecting their life’s work and really learning.”
Danza hopes that his students, all but two of whom recently graduated from high school, can learn from his youthful indiscretions.
“I told them, take this part of your life seriously, or you’ll end up with regrets, like me,” he says. “I always wonder how my life would be different if I had applied myself in school. Until we can convince the kids that this is in their own best interests, despite all the legitimate obstacles they face — whether it be a bad school, a bad teacher, a bad family, a bad neighborhood — they have to want it for themselves and understand this sets up the rest of their lives.”
Danza’s biggest weakness in front of a class was his biggest strength in front a camera. As he admits, he’s got a big mouth.
“I talk too much,” he says. “You can’t stand at the blackboard and lecture anymore. Kids don’t learn to be critical thinkers like that. I had to figure out ways to shut my mouth and let them talk.”
And what about those recent rumors that Danza wants to run for mayor of New York? Hey, if he can teach, he can do anything, right? After all, he is the boss.
“It was on offhanded comment to a reporter on the red carpet that was prefaced by ‘nobody is asking me,’ ” he says. “But if I were going to run, my motto would be ‘E Pluribus Unum.’ From many, one. Like education, we are all in this together. We’ve got to be on the same team.”
When the cameras stopped rolling halfway through the school year for his short-lived reality show “Teach: Tony Danza,” the 62-year-old actor didn’t walk out on his 10th-grade English students at Philadelphia’s largest public high school.
As a first-year volunteer teacher separating from his wife of 20-plus years, the “Who’s the Boss?” star was determined to finish what he started, no matter the challenges.
And there were many, as his book “I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had” (out Tuesday) recounts.
“There are very few things that are harder than being a teacher in any public school in America,” Danza tells the Daily News. “It’s a job that requires total commitment at the expense of just about everything else in your life.
“A teacher needs to be a lot of things to these kids — not only an educator, but a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, a best friend and a social worker. And a lot of teachers aren’t prepared for that. They come to teach the curriculum and inspire kids who want to learn, but there are a lot of kids who have a lot of difficulties that keep them from learning.”
You might think that teaching would be easier for a celebrity. Not so, says the Brooklyn native.
“These kids were born two years after ‘Who’s the Boss?’ went off the air,” Danza says. “They knew I was somebody because of the TV cameras, but they hadn’t seen any of my work. One student said, ‘Wasn’t he in ‘Cheers?’ ”
But less notoriety actually helped Danza develop his teaching philosophy.
“The big thing is to try to find a way that the lesson connects with the students’ lives so that it becomes relatable to them,” he says. “Everything is a life lesson. ‘Julius Caesar’ teaches friendship. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is all about making the best of a bad situation. When I was in school, I couldn’t understand why any of this mattered to me.”
As indicated by the title of his book, Danza is very aware of the irony in becoming an educator. After all, he was a subpar student at Malverne High School on Long Island.
“I was a student who didn’t take advantage of my education,” he says. “I charmed my teachers and just did as little as possible to get where I wanted to be, instead of respecting their life’s work and really learning.”
Danza hopes that his students, all but two of whom recently graduated from high school, can learn from his youthful indiscretions.
“I told them, take this part of your life seriously, or you’ll end up with regrets, like me,” he says. “I always wonder how my life would be different if I had applied myself in school. Until we can convince the kids that this is in their own best interests, despite all the legitimate obstacles they face — whether it be a bad school, a bad teacher, a bad family, a bad neighborhood — they have to want it for themselves and understand this sets up the rest of their lives.”
Danza’s biggest weakness in front of a class was his biggest strength in front a camera. As he admits, he’s got a big mouth.
“I talk too much,” he says. “You can’t stand at the blackboard and lecture anymore. Kids don’t learn to be critical thinkers like that. I had to figure out ways to shut my mouth and let them talk.”
And what about those recent rumors that Danza wants to run for mayor of New York? Hey, if he can teach, he can do anything, right? After all, he is the boss.
“It was on offhanded comment to a reporter on the red carpet that was prefaced by ‘nobody is asking me,’ ” he says. “But if I were going to run, my motto would be ‘E Pluribus Unum.’ From many, one. Like education, we are all in this together. We’ve got to be on the same team.”
No comments:
Post a Comment