WHAT DO WE KNOW/WANT TO KNOW ABOUT BURKE?

CHILDHOOD

100

JUST HOW OLD ARE YOU????

CARBON DATING SHOWS THAT I TURNED 46 THIS YEAR.

THANKS GOD I AM NOT A TREE AND YOU ASKED TO SEE THE CIRCLES....

200

DO YOU HAVE ANY SIBLINGS?

YES, I AM ONE OF THREE. MY PARENTS HAD ONE OF EACH. 

300

WHY DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR DAD?

HE WAS AN ALCOHOLIC AND I COULDN'T HAVE MY OWN LIFE TRYING TO FIX HIS

400

WHAT TYPE OF KID/STUDENT WERE YOU?

I WAS THE QUIET SHY KID WHO WAS BULLIED AND HAD VERY FEW FRIENDS, BUT WAS VERY LOYAL TO THE FEW I HAD. I WAS ALSO AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP AND COASTED ON MY NATURAL KNOWLEDGE. 

500

HOW DID YOU GET OVER LOSING YOUR MOM LAST YEAR

I HAVEN'T AND PROBABLY NEVER WILL, BUT HAVING CARING PEOPLE (FAMILY, STUDENTS, TEAMMATES) HELPS ME MANAGE. 

HARDSHIPS

100

WHAT IS THE HARDEST METAL YOU CAN USE TO BUILD A SHIP?

STEEL, BUT THE SULFER AND PHOSPHOROUS CONTENT HAS TO BE LOW  (LESS THAN 0.05%) BECAUSE HIGHER CONTENTS HAMPER THE WELDING PROPERTIES OF THE STEEL

200

HOW DOES KNOWING ABOUT THE TITANIC HELP WITH TEACHING STUDENTS?

BECAUSE IT IS THE THINGS BENEATH THE SURFACE YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF IN ORDER TO NAVIGATE THESE WATERS PROPERLY

300

WHY DO YOU INSIST THAT BATTLESHIP WAS A GOOD MOVIE?

RIHANNA IS IN IT. SHE CAN SING THE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO BUILD A HEMNES OR A TRYSIL AND I WOULD BE HYPNOTIZED. JUST NOT THE HURDAL....EVERY MAN HAS HIS LIMITS...

400

WHAT WAS THE HARDEST LEVEL OF A VIDEO GAME THAT YOU FIGURED OUT AND FELT STUDID AFTERWARDS?

X-MEN FOR THE SEGA GENESIS. I HIT THE RESET BUTTON ON THE GAME OUT OF FRUSTRATION NOT KNOWING THAT WAS WHAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN PROFESSOR X WAS SCREAMING ON THE SCREEN TO RESET THE COMPUTER AT THE END OF LEVEL 5...

500

1) WHY DO YOU MAKE SO MANY JOKES?

2) IT SEEMS YOU MAKE JOKES ALMOST ALL THE TIME

IT SHIFTS THE FOCUS FROM NEGATIVE THOUGHTS WHICH HAVE A LOWER MENTAL DENSITY THAN HAPPY ONES AND THEREFORE FLOAT TO THE SURFACE WHEN YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. 

YEAH..HOW ABOUT THAT....

BEFORE TEACHING

100

WHAT WAS THE THING YOU REMEMBER THE MOST ABOUT WORKING ALL THOSE TIMES AT MCDONALDS?

THE CONCUSSIONS, IRONICALLY. 

THERE WAS A LOW HANGING PIPE LEADING TO THE BASEMENT THAT I ALWAYS BANGED MY HEAD ON WITHOUT FAIL. I WONDER WHY I KEPT FORGETTING IT WAS THERE....

200

WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING AT AN ARCADE?

IT GOT BORING REALLY QUICKLY ONCE YOU GOT TIRED OF PLAYING THE SAME GAMES OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND HAVING TO STOP ALL THE TIME TO HELP CUSTOMERS. BUT I DID GET TO HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS AND GET PAID TO DO IT, SO IT WAS FUN OVERALL. 

...AND I HATE TEKKEN.

300

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE JOB AT VALUE LINE?

I WAS WORKING AS A SECURITY GUARD AT THE GAP STORE ON THE CORNER, AND RECONNECTED WITH A COLLEGE FRIEND WHO GOT MY FOOT IN THE DOOR. 

400

WHAT WAS YOUR MINDSET THAT KEPT YOU THERE FOR SO LONG?

I GOT COMFORTABLE AND COMPLACENT IN A HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT, SO I GOT GOOD AT MANY THINGS TO HELP PROTECT THE PEOPLE I WORKED WITH FROM THE PEOPLE I WORKED FOR. 

500

WHAT WERE THE EVENTS THAT MADE THEM FIRE YOU

I WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE MUTUAL FUNDS DEPARTMENT AND WAS BEING GROOMED TO TAKE OVER FOR THE MANAGER WHO WAS OF RETIREMENT AGE. THEY SHIFTED THE DEPARTMENT INSTEAD, FIRED THE MANAGER AND PUT US UNDER THE "LEADERSHIP" OF A MANAGER WHO I DID NOT GET ALONG WITH. AFTER THE HIRING FREEZE WAS LIFTED, I WAS REPLACED. 

LIFE AS A TEACHER

100

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE IN BECOMING A GOOD TEACHER FOR YOU PERSONALLY

REBUILDING MY CONFIDENCE

200

WHAT WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU ADDED TO YOUR LIFE TO HELP YOU PROGRESS AS A TEACHER? 

300

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOUR STUDENTS HAVE MADE YOU DO THAT YOU NORMALLY WOULDN'T

WALK.

LONG LONG LONG WALKS.

I WENT ON QUITE A FEW CHARITY WALKS WITH MY STUDENTS/KIDS. 

I REGRET NOTHING

400

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TEACHING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (3RD GRADE) AND MIDDLE SCHOOL (6TH AND 7TH GRADE) 

THE TYPE OF AFFECTION THEY RESPOND TO. 

3RD GRADERS ALWAYS NEEDED HUGS AND TO BE TOLD THEY ARE LOVED

MIDDLE SCHOOLERS LEAN MORE TOWARDS THE VERBAL AFFECTION RATHER THAN PHYSICAL AFFECTION. THEY NEVER GOT TIRED OR COMPLAINED ABOUT ME TELLING THEM THEY ARE CAPABLE OF DOING GREAT THINGS. THATS THE ONE THING THEY DIDN'T ARGUE ABOUT. 

500

WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG TO BECOME A TEACHER?

LIFE HAD TO HAPPEN FIRST. I PERSONALLY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AS GOOD OF A TEACHER IF I DID NOT HAVE MY OWN KIDS FIRST. I COMPARE MY STUDENTS TO MY OWN KIDS TO MAKE MY INITIAL EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS WITH THEM, AND IT BUILDS FROM THERE. 

RANDOMNESS

100

WOULD YOU EVER DO STAND UP COMEDY

YES ONCE I GET OVER A FEW OBSTACLES LIKE HAVING TO STAND UP FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME AND FINDING A WAY TO ACTUALLY BE FUNNY

200

AREN'T YOU MARRIED?

YES. I MARRIED A WOMAN FROM JAMAICA OVER 20 YEARS AGO. 

SHE IS ALMOST USED TO ME NOW.

300

IF YOU COULD HAVE A SUPER POWER WHAT WOULD IT BE?

THIS IS A LOADED QUESTION BECAUSE IF I ANSWERED THAT I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO FLY, I KNOW MYSELF WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT I WOULD STILL BE TOO LAZY TO DO IT. 

"BUT THE THING IS ALL THE WAY OVER THERE..I DONT FEEL LIKE FLYING ALL THE WAY THERE..."(AND ITS ACROSS THE ROOM)

400

HOW HAS HEARING ABOUT ALL YOUR COWORKERS TRAVELING SO MUCH INSPIRED YOU?

IT MADE ME GOOGLE NEW AND EXCITING PLACES TO SEE. I READ ABOUT THEM ON WIKIPEDIA. I SAW VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE. 

AND NOW I CAN AVOID GOING ON AN AIRPLANE TO SEE THEM MYSELF

500

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SHOW AND HOW DOES IT RELATE TO YOU?

THE WALKING DEAD. 

LIVING IN NEW YORK AND COMMUTING EARLY IN THE MORNING, I KNOW WHAT THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE WOULD BE LIKE. IT WOULD SOUND EXACTLY LIKE THIS. "WE ARE CURRENTLY DELAYED DUE TO A SIGNAL MALFUNCTION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE"