This Week on the Wire: Craig's Take

An assistant principal walks a new teacher down an empty hallway and into a tired looking classroom. The new guy surveys the clutter of desks and debris. “So this is me?” The administrator eyes the former cop turned rookie educator. “This is you.” And I’m one happy viewer. As the second biggest WIRE fan around (no one tops Kevin), I’m pretty euphoric that the best television series in history is spending a full year taking a close look at urban education.

Let’s face it, Hollywood sucks at school. Remember the sappy Michelle Pfeiffer vehicle DANGEROUS MINDS? How about the sudsy BOSTON PUBLIC? No wonder my friends groan whenever I try to get them to watch a classroom-themed drama. But as a former Teach for America recruit (one of the earliest--I’m an old guy), I can’t seem to resist. Like Charlie Brown with that darn football (now I’ve really dated myself), I’m a glutton for punishment.

But after watching the first episode with Kevin last Thursday (pssst, HBO On Demand!), I can report that so far THE WIRE has it right. Of course, with its depiction of a condescending and completely irrelevant “pre-season” professional development session, viewers who haven’t worked in an urban school district might think the show’s writers have finally flubbed up and gone the way of hyperbole. But I recall having to sit through far, far worse. (At least the lady telling these teachers the pencil sharpener is a “hot spot” has a decent delivery.)

Let's be honest. As bad as the school system looks in the first few glimpses we got in the season opener, the show’s depiction isn’t nearly as grim as it could have been. Consider that Pryzbylewski (the cop-turned-teacher) gets hired before the kids have shown up. One out of every four high-poverty, urban school districts reports waiting until the beginning of the school year before making most job offers to teachers. (Factoid from here and great analysis of this truly awful practice here. Oh, only seven percent of better-off suburban districts wait that long.) Unlike many of his new professional peers, Prez gets to set up his classroom before it’s full of twelve-year-olds!

Thanks to Kevin for inviting me to guest blog about this season of THE WIRE. I'm looking forward to seeing how Prez handles his new job when the kids do finally fill up that classroom next week. Once the show's "school year" kicks into gear, it should provide an interesting opportunity for thinking hard about how policy affects real teachers and kids ... or, perhaps, how it doesn't. Stay tuned.