Fair is Fair

          I have a theory that you become the age of the kids you teach. Not completely, of course, but in some very clear identifiable way.  So when I was teaching 13-year-olds, for instance, I’d find myself feeling moody and mopey for no particular reason.  And now that I’m spending a lot of time with 8 and 9-year-olds, I often hear myself scream: “It’s not fair.”

            And seriously, it’s not fair!

            I’m talking about the $1.5 million book deal that Greg Smith just signed.

            Who, might you ask, is Greg Smith and why should you care?

            Greg is the investment banker who left Goldman Sachs and wrote a piece for the New York Times about Goldman’s disdain for its clients. As it turns out, Greg and I have a great deal in common. Minus, of course, one $1.5 million book deal.

            Greg spent the past 12 years working for one employer.  I’ve also spent the past 12 years working for one employer.

            He wrote one piece for the Times.  I’ve written more than one piece for the Times (a few years ago, but you can google them if you want), and I’ve written a couple of dozen posts for this blog.

            Greg won a bronze medal for table tennis at the Maccabiah Games.  I used to be pretty good at table tennis, and if the table in our basement wasn’t sagging in the middle (and I didn’t wear progressive lenses), I’m sure I could still score a few points against any teenager on my block.

            Okay, I’m not really in 3^rd grade, so I’m not blind to the differences between Greg and me: Greg not only worked for Goldman Sachs, he is promising  to write a kiss-and-tell memoir about the firm; I, on the other hand, have been working at a Jewish day school for which I have tremendous affection and regard, and for the right price, I'd be happy to write a kiss-and-kiss memoir.  

            So fair is fair.  I’ll take less than $1.5 million. 

            Let the bidding wars begin!