Are We Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Turns Out... Maybe Not)

Episode Description

This week on the Out Loud Podcast, Rachel and Rob put their knowledge to the test with a series of brain teasers, riddles, and fifth-grade level questions.

What starts as a simple trivia challenge quickly turns into a hilarious reality check as both hosts discover that some of the easiest questions can be the hardest to answer under pressure.

Along the way, they talk about ADHD, memory, geography, education, teaching, life experiences, and why being smart doesn't always mean knowing the right answer at the right time.

The conversation eventually shifts into deeper topics including inner-city schools, gentrification, community change, and the lessons learned from decades spent in education.

In true Out Loud fashion, the episode is equal parts funny, thoughtful, and completely unpredictable.

Topics include:

• Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
 • Brain teasers and riddles
 • ADHD and problem solving
 • Geography fails and trivia challenges
 • Teaching and education stories
 • Growing up in New Jersey
 • Gentrification and community change
 • Why experience teaches lessons school never can

Listen now and see if you can answer the questions better than Rachel and Rob.

#OutLoudPodcast #TriviaChallenge #Education #ADHD #TeachingStories #NewJersey #PodcastLife #AreYouSmarterThanAFifthGrader

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey everybody, thanks for tuning in again to the Out Loud Podcast.

SPEAKER_05 0:03

Hi, everyone. Welcome back. Thanks for tuning in.

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Today I think we're gonna see how smart we are, right?

SPEAKER_05 0:09

Yeah. So today, so things are winding down. It's Friday here, and I have exactly 13 school days left.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Wow.

SPEAKER_05 0:17

In the school year. So I started cleaning my classroom because, you know, there's not much left to do academically. Uh and my kids love, you know, the students always love, I know I remember I used to love doing that also, organizing the teacher's classroom. So that's what we've been doing. And then I figured I would allow them to help me set it up for next year. So I started going through my closet and I found, so I took over somebody else's physical classroom. Uh, this is my third year here. And when I got into the classroom, if I tell you it was disgusting, that's an understatement. Like it was, I think the teacher just like ran.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 0:53

Literally, like, and I think before that it was a dumping ground for every teacher who had left who never cleaned their cla their shit out. So like this became that that that room. So I should have brought some of the stuff in. I had stuff that had like dates from like 1982, books, like resources.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

Um, so I just found Which would be fun to read at they would actually, you know, I have some more language.

SPEAKER_05 1:20

I'm actually gonna bring, I'll bring some in. But I found this. Um, let me see what it's called because it's got a fancy name. Brain-bending conundrums, puzzles wrapped in riddles inside mysteries. Noggin workshop. I don't know how old it is, so I don't even know if you can get it, but um set, it says outset media, and it says for ages 14 plus, and then it says adult on it. So okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

So at least I I the adult well, 14 plus usually is 14 plus.

SPEAKER_05 1:57

Well, so I stopped for gas on my way here. I just grabbed them. I didn't look at them before I left my classroom. I just threw them in my bag and I was like, all right, I'll look at them when I get to here. And then I stopped for gas and I looked at them. And the two that I looked at, I was like, oh my god, I can't answer these. But you are freakishly like logical and brain-bending. So I was like, I bet you if I bring these, you can totally master some of these.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

No, I'll I'll tell you why. I get, I didn't tell you this before, but I get somewhat almost physically sick when I see these on Facebook.

SPEAKER_05 2:33

Really?

SPEAKER_00 2:33

I start to sweat. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 2:37

Why? Is it PTSD?

SPEAKER_00 2:38

It's just like no, no, no, no, no. I think it'll be fun.

SPEAKER_05 2:42

Oh my god, are we gonna grab a didn't you say you would never have an anxiety attack?

SPEAKER_00 2:47

Oh god, like no, I I I when I see the questions on Facebook, it's like, so I don't even try to figure it out. That's how much it stresses me out. I just start reading the answers.

SPEAKER_05 3:01

Well, this is part of you wanting to know the whole the end.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Right. Yeah, yeah. That's it's all part of the same thing. Yeah, I think that's the anxiety.

SPEAKER_05 3:10

You want, yeah, you need to know.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

And I'm pissed off that I can't figure it, like, you know.

SPEAKER_05 3:15

So I looked at this one, I don't like this one, so I'm just automatic. That's one of the ones that I looked at at the gas station, and I was like, that's not happening. Okay. Ready? This is and then you can read it.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

We don't know the answer either.

SPEAKER_05 3:29

I don't know. I haven't looked at any of them except for that one, and I didn't even wouldn't have been able to figure it out anyway. So I I'm throwing that one out there. The rest of them I have never looked at. I've never looked at the other one.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

See if we're smarter than a 14-year-old.

SPEAKER_05 3:41

Okay. I'll give a short and quick one first. The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it?

SPEAKER_00 3:49

More you have of it, the less you see.

SPEAKER_05 3:53

Okay, so I'm gonna think about it too. So give me a second, also. Second, we'll cut this out. The more you have of it.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

This should be one of the easy. This is probably one of the easier ones.

SPEAKER_05 4:04

Because it is number three. It's number three, it's in the beginning. So you're probably right. It should be one of the easier ones. The more you have of it. So it's something that you have on your person, the less you see money.

unknown 4:21

No.

SPEAKER_05 4:22

Maybe because the bills get bigger?

SPEAKER_00 4:24

No, no, no, it's not that logical. That's a little bit too deep. Yeah, that you're you're you're really stretching it there.

SPEAKER_05 4:33

These are brain bonders vendors.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

I don't know. Let's uh maybe I'll set a timer. We only have two.

SPEAKER_05 4:38

Oh, that's a good idea. That's a good idea. So the more you have of it, the less an audience.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

You gotta think too. Let's go. Scream it out.

SPEAKER_05 4:47

Doo doo doo doo doo. Am I allowed to do that? Are we gonna get copyrighted or something?

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Probably.

SPEAKER_05 4:53

Um the more you have of it, the less you say.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Yeah. What is it? We're not, you know. Uh-oh, go ahead.

SPEAKER_05 5:03

Maybe like I like uh like astigmatism or something like that. Like, could it be something like that?

SPEAKER_00 5:10

Very logical and easy.

SPEAKER_05 5:11

Like it's gonna be like far-sightedness, or that's what it's maybe it's like far-sightedness or nearsightedness or something like that. The more you have of it, the less you see.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Farsightedness.

SPEAKER_05 5:23

Right?

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Maybe far. Is that our final answer? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 5:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

I like how you're helping me get credit.

SPEAKER_05 5:29

Darkness. Damn it.

SPEAKER_00 5:32

See, that's what I mean. It's so easy. We're just going into finances. Money. I mean, even I do that.

SPEAKER_05 5:45

Damn it.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

But like that, that's so darkness. Let's do one more and then we'll go on to plan B. We're not taking an IQ test.

SPEAKER_05 5:51

No, and and actually, we already had plan B set up because we knew that this was gonna go down quick.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

God, I'm upset with that one. That was an easy one. This is high, this is a good example of hindsight bias.

SPEAKER_05 6:05

Okay. Are you ready? This is one we're gonna have to stare at for a minute. So again, we'll cut it out if we need to.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

How are we gonna give each other a minute?

SPEAKER_05 6:13

Yeah, but after I read Yes, a minute.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 6:16

Okay. Samantha, Charlotte, and Carrie each have a teacup poodle that they have named after their best friend. Sam, Char, and Car. Okay. They also like to dress their dogs in outfits that match their own. Today, the dog's outfits are pink, blue, and coral. Oh, Jesus. This I think I have to skip it.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Okay, I just finished it. No. I think I'm also plus their names again.

SPEAKER_05 6:53

My ATHD on a Friday afternoon right now. I don't even know what I read. I don't think I can even finish.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

All right, let's just quiz you out. What colors were where they were red.

SPEAKER_03 7:09

Pink.

SPEAKER_05 7:12

Oh my god, I have to mention.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

What was her name? Charlotte.

SPEAKER_05 7:18

Sharkar and Sharkar and Carrie. Samantha, Charlotte, and Carrie. Pink, bloom, and coral. Oh, I can't. I can't read that anything. All right, let's do a short one. And then we'll move on to yours. Oh my god. That see, you are just watching.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Maybe look for a few more short ones.

SPEAKER_05 7:45

You just watched ADHD. Oh god. Adults. Alright, a short one.

SPEAKER_00 7:51

Okay, here's definitely let us take a science class.

SPEAKER_05 7:54

Wow. Oh my god. What gets broken without being held?

SPEAKER_00 7:59

Your heart.

SPEAKER_05 8:00

A heart.

SPEAKER_00 8:01

We still said heart. Is that our final answer? That's deep trauma.

SPEAKER_05 8:06

Totally. Neither of us were right.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

Which one?

SPEAKER_05 8:10

A promise. Yeah, that's that's also it.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

We did good.

SPEAKER_05 8:15

Yeah, I don't like that one.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

But I see where they're going with their answers. So all right.

SPEAKER_05 8:19

I start with M and I end with X. I have a never-ending amount of letters. What am I?

SPEAKER_00 8:26

Max? Oh um.

SPEAKER_05 8:31

I start with M and I end with X. I start with M and I end with X. I have a never-ending amount of letters. What am I? Mailbox! Mailbox! Yes, I've redeemed myself. Yes, let's check it. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 8:55

I was correct. One for Rachel.

SPEAKER_00 8:57

Oh god, see, I was only why was I only thinking of three letters?

SPEAKER_05 9:01

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Like my mind.

SPEAKER_05 9:04

I was thinking of holding something, actually, is what I was thinking of.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Yeah. I don't know why I was thinking of that.

SPEAKER_05 9:10

That's so interesting. All right, let's look for one more, and then we'll move on to yours. No, these are all too long. No, we just read that one. So we'll read the poker one really quick for the uh viewers.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 9:22

So the next one, Rob is an avid poker watcher.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

Watcher.

SPEAKER_05 9:25

And um I gave I wouldn't know this one. And I actually said that it this is an interesting one for a four, like what if a 14-year-old doesn't play poker? So that's an interesting one for this. But eight cards are missing from a standard poker deck with no jokers, making it impossible to get a straight flush. Which cards are missing?

SPEAKER_00 9:44

And you said No, I just couldn't think of it. I I I I was thinking more like uh because it's straight flush, right? So I was thinking more of the suit. I think that was what they were trying to do, make you like.

SPEAKER_05 9:55

And it was fives and tens, right? Yeah, because it's a straight requires five consecutive cards, so removing fives and tens.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

Do one more, do one more, find one more short one. Yeah, because it would be fives or tens, and there's there's one of each.

SPEAKER_05 10:08

At night they come without being fetched. By day, they are lost without being stolen. What are they? Bats.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

At night, what?

SPEAKER_05 10:21

At night they come without being fetched. By day they are lost without being stolen. What are they? And it's they, so lost without being stolen.

unknown 10:38

At night, I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 10:44

Do you think it's something with like rays, like the sun's rays or something like that? Like at night, no, because they don't come at they don't come at night. So at night they come the stars.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

They yeah. The stars. You got it.

SPEAKER_05 11:00

At night they come without being fetched.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

Shooting stars.

SPEAKER_05 11:04

Yeah, catches catch a star, right? To catch a star, like shooting star, whatever.

SPEAKER_00 11:08

Rolloff has started it.

SPEAKER_05 11:10

Yeah, the stars.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

Okay, good. Nice, nice, nice.

SPEAKER_05 11:13

Alright, so two for me.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 11:14

Alright, so uh, let's move on to yours because our um redeemer was are you smarter than a fifth grader?

SPEAKER_00 11:21

And uh I'm gonna start out with geography on the easy side.

SPEAKER_05 11:26

All right. Oh, that is not the easy side for me. Geography is not okay. I mean, really, it's not my strong point.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

Oh no, this is hard, actually. Oh my god. I thought it was a capital question. Like, what's the capital or something, but it's not I don't even know the capitals. Ugh, well, you know, like the the other ones I got rid of was like Capital of New York.

SPEAKER_05 11:47

Do not judge me.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 11:49

We listen and we don't judge.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

Are you smarter than a fifth grader? Okay. You really have to think about this one.

SPEAKER_04 11:55

Oh no.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

What is the only US state that borders just one other state? Think about it. Think about it. I can even give you some tips. It's not in the middle, of course.

SPEAKER_04 12:16

Is it?

SPEAKER_00 12:18

You got it.

SPEAKER_04 12:19

Right? Washington?

SPEAKER_00 12:21

No. But you're close.

SPEAKER_04 12:23

Or or is it Oregon?

SPEAKER_05 12:25

I don't know what's up. Utah uh that side?

SPEAKER_00 12:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 12:29

The East Coast?

SPEAKER_00 12:31

On top.

SPEAKER_05 12:32

Vermont?

SPEAKER_00 12:33

Maine.

SPEAKER_05 12:34

Maine. Maine. Oh, I was thinking. That's an interesting one. I was thinking West Coast. Huh.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

Are you a science person?

SPEAKER_05 12:43

I mean, no. So so?

SPEAKER_00 12:46

What is the hardest natural substance found on Earth?

SPEAKER_04 12:50

The hardest?

SPEAKER_00 12:52

Yeah. It's it's an I'm gonna give you a hint. It's it's it's obvious. It's like an obvious thing. It's not it's something you know very well.

SPEAKER_04 13:02

Bone?

SPEAKER_00 13:03

No. It's more like a mineral or a rock or granite? Clothes.

SPEAKER_04 13:10

Marble?

SPEAKER_00 13:11

No. It's uh woman's best friend. Diamonds. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 13:18

Oh, I wasn't thinking gems or that. I was thinking more like, but yeah, rock.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 13:24

I'm a domain. Alright, go on.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

I do not have you'll know this, or we just end the podcast.

SPEAKER_05 13:33

What is the wait, did you just say that? Oh my god, that's a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

That's how confident I am in you.

SPEAKER_05 13:38

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

What is the adject adjective in the sentence? The nervous student gave a presentation. Nervous. Yeah, all right, good.

SPEAKER_05 13:47

Come on.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

If you already got that.

SPEAKER_05 13:49

If I didn't know that, that would have been a problem.

SPEAKER_00 13:52

Okay, here's some history.

SPEAKER_05 13:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:54

And you should be good at history because your parents are history boss.

SPEAKER_05 13:59

So and my brother's a history teacher.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

And you should know this, or your brother's gonna uh never talk to you again. What document begins with the words we the people?

SPEAKER_04 14:10

Oh. Um believe these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, right?

SPEAKER_05 14:19

Is it the declaration? I mean the um uh the declaration of independence. US Constitution.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

Yeah, I just you got it. We give me that. We give me that. All right, yeah. Animals. What is the largest species of shark? I wouldn't have noticed one, but the answer is like very obvious. It's like it's a good hindsight bias bias one.

SPEAKER_03 14:44

Is it the great white? No, it's not the great white.

SPEAKER_00 14:46

Is it the um it has another mammal in front? The name has a tiger shark? No. No, but another mammal.

unknown 14:56

Whale shark.

SPEAKER_05 14:57

I didn't I don't even know what a whale shark is, actually. So I wouldn't have been a I suck. Yeah, that's oh my god. This is a humbling.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

Which Great Lake is entirely within the United States?

SPEAKER_05 15:12

Um, well, what are the uh I don't even I mean the Great Lake Superior, Ontario. Um, um is Lake Erie one of them?

SPEAKER_00 15:23

Yeah, there's there's one in uh in Lake Michigan?

SPEAKER_05 15:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We got it.

SPEAKER_00 15:28

We give you, we give you.

SPEAKER_05 15:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:30

Science. Which part of a plant absorbs water from the soil?

SPEAKER_05 15:37

The roots.

SPEAKER_00 15:37

Yeah, I got it. Got it.

SPEAKER_05 15:39

I didn't know that one. It doesn't matter. I don't feel redeemed at all. This is a wow, call Rachel out.

SPEAKER_00 15:47

What is the cinnamon for the word ancient?

SPEAKER_04 15:50

Old.

SPEAKER_00 15:51

Yeah. Astronomy. How long does it take the earth to orbit the sun?

SPEAKER_05 15:57

Oh, uh uh, the earth to orbit the sun.

SPEAKER_00 16:01

The earth to orbit the sun. A year, right? Yeah. 360 years.

SPEAKER_05 16:05

Yeah, I didn't know if it was, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

It says about one year.

SPEAKER_05 16:08

About one year. Because leap year, right? Because of leap year.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Yeah. History. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

SPEAKER_05 16:17

Well, Thomas Jefferson.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

Yeah. Got it.

SPEAKER_05 16:21

But did was there like some question as to did he like he did he did fully read it, write it?

SPEAKER_00 16:27

Uh, who knows?

SPEAKER_05 16:28

I mean, I think so, but yeah. Okay, go on.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

Maybe the auto pen did it.

SPEAKER_05 16:33

The auto um feather pen?

unknown 16:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 16:36

The AI of back then.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

The autopen did it back then.

SPEAKER_05 16:40

Imagine if like they found out that like the secretary wrote it or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

That could happen. Right?

SPEAKER_05 16:46

Like, imagine. You never know. You wouldn't know back then.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

And it doesn't count now? Like that constitute.

SPEAKER_04 16:52

Well, I mean Geography.

SPEAKER_00 16:55

What is the smallest continent?

SPEAKER_04 17:01

South America?

SPEAKER_00 17:03

No. They have uh, I'll give you a hint. The baby version of this animal, I think, is called Joey.

SPEAKER_05 17:11

Australia?

SPEAKER_00 17:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 17:13

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

You like that hint?

SPEAKER_05 17:16

I do.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

That's a pretty good hint.

SPEAKER_05 17:19

My god, like I feel like I should not be teaching anymore.

unknown 17:23

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

You're doing much better than I did. I I would have. What is the boiling of water in degrees Fahrenheit? Oh, I didn't know this.

SPEAKER_05 17:36

Oh, in Fahrenheit. Um is it over a hundred degrees? Yeah. Uh um, oh my like one least double. Oh. Oh, I know. 200 and what?

SPEAKER_00 17:49

Twelve.

SPEAKER_05 17:50

212.

SPEAKER_00 17:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 17:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

All right. I think you'll get this one. What is the plural form of the word goose? Goose geese. Yeah. All right, government.

SPEAKER_04 18:00

English is how much.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

How many branches of the U.S. government are there? And Rachel hates everything about government. Three? Yeah. You can do that one.

SPEAKER_05 18:09

I don't hate everything about government. I hate politics.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

No, I know, I know.

SPEAKER_05 18:12

Because it's destroying the government.

SPEAKER_00 18:14

Trick question. That was good. Look at look at her. Rachel takes a gift philosophical once in a while. She doesn't get deep like that. Alright, trick question. A farmer has 17 sheep. All but nine run away. How many sheep does he have left? This is so easy, but if you have ADHD, it's hard.

SPEAKER_05 18:41

Can you say it again? He has 17 sheep.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

All but nine run away. He has nine.

SPEAKER_05 18:51

I thought I was crazy. That's why I was like, can you read it again?

SPEAKER_00 18:57

That's a good one. All right, lightning round.

SPEAKER_05 19:00

Oh, so I've been doing so great on the extended timer.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

I didn't even ask ChatGPT for a lightning round. I just asked for 15 and they gave me 20.

SPEAKER_04 19:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

Which two US states, which two US states can be seen from the top of the gateway arc in St. Louis?

SPEAKER_05 19:20

Missouri.

SPEAKER_00 19:22

You got it. That's good.

SPEAKER_05 19:24

And St. Louis.

unknown 19:29

Missouri.

SPEAKER_05 19:30

And there's like a there's a um uh not Michigan, right?

SPEAKER_00 19:41

No, I don't know. But you're gonna get the next one.

SPEAKER_05 19:43

Uh I don't know what the other one is.

SPEAKER_03 19:45

Illinois. Illinois.

SPEAKER_00 19:47

Which is the largest organ in the human body. You should know that because that's that was always like the trick question as a kid.

SPEAKER_05 19:55

The heart? The brain?

SPEAKER_00 19:57

The largest organ, no. The skin? Yeah. Yeah, okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 20:00

You gotta delete something and fuck that shit.

SPEAKER_02 20:08

I look like the biggest idiot right now.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

No, it's different when you put on the spot.

SPEAKER_05 20:20

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

Look. Look, it's okay.

SPEAKER_05 20:23

Next week he's going down.

SPEAKER_00 20:25

No, but what I saw, like, I know that, like, but I don't know if I would have to do that.

SPEAKER_05 20:29

All right, so let me do something for you.

SPEAKER_00 20:31

I'm smarter than that. I'm smarter than that. Oh, this is interesting. I didn't know that. This is a good one.

SPEAKER_05 20:37

Did anybody catch that? That I just said, let me do something for you, and he said, No, I'm smarter than that.

SPEAKER_00 20:42

Yeah, I'm smarter than that.

SPEAKER_05 20:44

I know you're more than letting me do it.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

I know I'm a dumbass. So uh this is a good this is actually interesting. I don't think you're gonna get that stuff.

SPEAKER_05 20:51

Oh, well, I'm not surprised.

SPEAKER_00 20:53

But I think it's shocker. I think it's much harder than a fifth grade question, too. What is the main language spoken in Brazil? This is a good one. I like I like that I know this now. Portuguese? Yeah, I knew that. I did not know that.

SPEAKER_05 21:09

Yes!

SPEAKER_00 21:10

That's good. I did not think you would get that.

SPEAKER_05 21:13

I'm proud of my cultural knowledge.

SPEAKER_00 21:15

Which planet has the most moons? Saturn.

SPEAKER_05 21:20

Uh I might have known that actually, if I had more time to think.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

Yeah. Oh, you were shaking your head. I thought you were afraid.

SPEAKER_05 21:26

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I didn't I wouldn't have been able to answer, but if I had more time to think about it, I think I did know that Saturn had many moons.

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Wow, I didn't know I didn't know this last one.

SPEAKER_05 21:36

All right.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

No, if you get this out, I don't know. This doesn't what is the only mammal capable of true flight? True flight.

SPEAKER_04 21:48

What does that mean, true flight?

SPEAKER_00 21:50

Like a fly like a bird, you know, like a flight. The only man not like a shark flying through the water. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:56

I fucking like I God. The only man

SPEAKER_00 22:04

You're not gonna get this. This is a hard one.

SPEAKER_04 22:07

Don't tell me yet. Who can fly?

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Like your mind's not even in the right spot right now, I guarantee it.

SPEAKER_04 22:18

So then tell me.

SPEAKER_05 22:20

I was gonna fucking say Why didn't you say it then? That was my first guess, by the way. But then I was like, is a bat a raven?

SPEAKER_02 22:30

Yeah, right, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 22:30

That's what I I'm not kidding you. I was gonna say bat. I was gonna say bat. I s how is a freaking bat a mammal? God is my witness, I was saying.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

Why is a bat a mammal? I'm gonna ask Track V2P. How the hell is bat a mamma?

SPEAKER_05 22:43

I was gonna say bat.

SPEAKER_00 22:46

But how?

SPEAKER_05 22:47

Did I just ruin your voice? No. I was gonna say bat. I was gonna I was gonna say bat.

SPEAKER_00 22:52

Oh, has hair or fur, bats have fur, is warm-blooded, gives birth to live young, most bats do, produces milk to feed their bait. Oh there you go. I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_05 23:07

I didn't know that either, but I knew I was gonna say that. That's what I know.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

Confusion comes from the fact that they fly.

SPEAKER_05 23:13

And that they look like rats with wings. That's why I got confused, because I was like, is it a rodent with wings?

SPEAKER_00 23:19

Birds have feathers, not fur.

SPEAKER_05 23:22

Right. I wasn't even I wasn't trying to think of a bird.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

Right.

SPEAKER_05 23:26

I was trying to think of another animal that flew, but I was confused and I wasn't sure whether or not that was a rodent.

SPEAKER_00 23:32

I'm such an idiot. I just assume a bat's a f a bird.

SPEAKER_05 23:35

Oh no. I thought it was a rodent.

SPEAKER_00 23:37

Well, yeah, but I didn't think it was a I never would have. Never would have lost everything that I have if I had to bet on that one. You did pretty good. I did hardly you can come up with some for the right? I I want it to be fair though.

SPEAKER_05 23:53

I'm seeing bias. Don't come for it.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

I want to be smarter than a second grader for me. Because if you had a difficult time with fifth grade and you got two men I'm doing fourth grade.

SPEAKER_05 24:04

I'm gonna do it.

unknown 24:05

Oh god.

SPEAKER_05 24:06

I'm doing it. I'm doing I'll do ten questions. Okay? Oh god.

SPEAKER_00 24:12

Oh, I hate these so much. Brings me back to Mrs. Corvette and Mrs. McGlino is always picking on me.

SPEAKER_05 24:22

Wait, Mrs. Corvette?

SPEAKER_00 24:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 24:26

Do you remember Corvettes?

SPEAKER_00 24:27

That that was actually my kindergarten.

SPEAKER_05 24:30

Wait, do you remember the store Corvettes? Yeah, of course. Yes, it was like Bradley's and two guys. Yeah, yeah. No. Uh-oh. What'd you do to them?

SPEAKER_00 24:41

No, what they did to me, it's terrible. She just retired like seven years ago.

SPEAKER_05 24:44

Almost went to her uh These are so easy. I'm not giving them to you.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

Okay. I almost went to a retirement dinner and uh told her what she did to me. How she tramped.

SPEAKER_05 24:53

What did she do to you? My kindergarten what year was she? Kindergarten? Yeah. So my did we talk about this? That my kindergarten? Yes, we did. Because mine traumatized me for the rest of my life, also. Go on.

SPEAKER_00 25:03

So so this is my personal growth. I did not bring mine up because I didn't want to outshine you.

SPEAKER_04 25:08

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

So so like I kept quiet during the five. I did not want to one-up you because mine one-ups yours.

SPEAKER_05 25:15

No, no, no, no. That's bad then, because mine was traumatizing and PTSD inducing.

SPEAKER_00 25:20

So it starts out really sad. My mom has a massive heart attack of 42, almost dies. I'm five years old. Okay. So I don't know really what's going on because they they hide it from you. You're five years old, but the teacher found out.

SPEAKER_05 25:32

Right, of course, because they tell them so that they know to watch right.

SPEAKER_00 25:35

So I'm sitting in class, Mrs. Corvette goes, Rob, can you come to the desk?

SPEAKER_05 25:40

I can't get past the name.

SPEAKER_00 25:41

Yeah. She goes, Can you come to the desk? And I said, sure. You know, so I get up, like, and don't forget, I was extremely shy, extremely introverted. Like, my mom honestly thought I was autistic. Like, there's a book up there that my mom read about. So I was very, like, um, um, very, very so going up there was a heart. Yeah, yeah, because everybody's looking at it. Right, exactly. You know what I mean? Yes. And she goes, Rob, I I heard your mom had a heart attack. And I just shuck my head because I didn't even know what it was. What a yeah, but I knew because I heard conversations. So what? I even heard conversations with my mom, like that she may only have five years to live. Like, like I didn't couldn't process a lot. So the teacher goes, Maybe you shouldn't give her such a hard time. So that was Mrs. Corvette, and she's still alive. She just retired like seven years ago.

SPEAKER_04 26:30

I don't have words. I don't have words.

SPEAKER_00 26:34

So uh that's not gonna be a real that's too sad.

unknown 26:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

So second grade is too easy. You can give me fifth grade.

SPEAKER_05 26:41

I'm not giving you second grade. I gave you fourth grade and then I made it more rigorous.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 26:46

Alright. Do you want math or no? Alright, science. What this one is so I won't get it.

SPEAKER_00 26:55

I don't get it.

SPEAKER_05 26:56

What is the adjective in this sentence? Are you ready?

SPEAKER_00 26:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 26:59

The curious squirrel climbed the tall tree.

SPEAKER_00 27:02

The curious squirrel climbed the long tree. And the tall tree. What?

SPEAKER_05 27:09

The curious squirrel climbed the tall tree.

SPEAKER_00 27:13

Yeah, and the curious squirrel climbed the tall.

SPEAKER_05 27:20

Right, exactly. All right, which is only one adjectively. Well, excuse me. I didn't make the questions. What is the longest river in the United States?

SPEAKER_00 27:30

Oh, Mississippi?

SPEAKER_05 27:32

Nope, Missouri. All right.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

This is part of that scarred me. I stopped learning.

SPEAKER_05 27:37

All because of her?

SPEAKER_00 27:38

Yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_05 27:39

I didn't stop learning because of Miss Shannon at my kindergarten class, but I definitely shut down. Name the four states that border Mexico.

SPEAKER_00 27:49

Oh, Jesus Christ. Mexico, the country?

SPEAKER_05 27:53

Yeah. Name the four states.

SPEAKER_00 27:55

So it has to be uh Texas, Vegas.

SPEAKER_05 27:59

Vegas isn't a state.

SPEAKER_00 28:01

Nevada.

SPEAKER_05 28:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 28:03

Nope. No? I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 28:11

California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. I'm horrible at geography, so. Alright, what's the largest planet in our solar system?

SPEAKER_00 28:22

Uh Jupiter? Yeah. I knew that. I don't know why I knew that. So easy.

SPEAKER_05 28:26

What gas do planets take in from the air? Or do plants, I'm sorry, I couldn't even read. What gas do plants take in? Yeah. Are you watching?

SPEAKER_00 28:36

No, no, no, no. I know some things. I mean, Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_05 28:43

Name the five great lakes.

SPEAKER_00 28:45

Oh, I'm not gonna know. I'm not gonna remember.

SPEAKER_05 28:47

I named two of them before. Three of them.

SPEAKER_00 28:49

Oh, Erie, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario, um, Lake uh, Lake uh Lake.

SPEAKER_05 29:02

Yeah, Huron. Yeah, get it? Yeah. Lake Huron. Yeah. And then the last one is superior.

SPEAKER_00 29:08

Oh superior, yeah. That's I should have done a Huron, I would have gotten.

SPEAKER_05 29:11

Alright. What's the smallest US state by area?

SPEAKER_00 29:17

Oh yeah, it has to be is it Rhode Island?

SPEAKER_05 29:22

Yeah. I'm not I'm not happy with this matchup.

SPEAKER_00 29:27

Yeah, it are the questions. Mine's fourth grade, right?

SPEAKER_05 29:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:31

Yeah, that's a different.

SPEAKER_05 29:32

How many amendments are in the Bill of Rights?

SPEAKER_00 29:35

Oh God. Oh, that's terrible. Oh, that's terrible. I don't even really The third one's a weird one. Um God. How many? Ten. Ten. Did you know that?

SPEAKER_05 29:48

No.

SPEAKER_00 29:48

Not a God, that's so embarrassing. I should be deported. Ooh, this is a good one, and I Yeah, you know people that you should have to take a test to be a citizen.

SPEAKER_05 30:05

Hello. All right. This is interesting. I didn't know this, and I'm glad I do now. What is a group of frogs called?

SPEAKER_00 30:14

Uh uh pods? No. That's the babies, right? Right. Well, yeah, like because they're a group of frogs. Uh huh. I like this question, though.

SPEAKER_05 30:24

Me too, and I would never know it. And I don't think there's ever been a reason that I would know it. What? An army.

SPEAKER_00 30:30

Really? Yes. Like, how don't we know that? Because that's that's even a fun thing to teach your kids. Well, I mean, like, we know that. That's a fun kid's book, The Frog Army.

SPEAKER_05 30:42

Like, you know what I mean? Like, like counting book, The Frog Army, right?

SPEAKER_00 30:48

But how didn't we like just stumble across that?

SPEAKER_05 30:51

That's pathetic. With are you smarter than a fourth grader? Um that one. Oh, what is the only US state whose name can be typed using only one row of a keyboard?

SPEAKER_00 31:04

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. I'm really gonna type in. Q W E R T Y U I O P A S D. E. I'm just gonna go with a short state. T no. Main, I don't know. Alaska. Two A self.

SPEAKER_05 31:37

How many ounces are in a pound?

SPEAKER_00 31:38

Yeah, yeah, I like uh sixteen, right? Yeah.

unknown 31:43

God.

SPEAKER_05 31:44

That's all I got for you.

SPEAKER_00 31:45

That's good. At least I got some.

SPEAKER_05 31:46

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 31:47

I mean, if I don't get the ounces, like there's a couple, like the ones I got wrong, I'm okay with.

SPEAKER_05 31:52

Well, I'm I'm not. I am not okay with some of the ones that I got wrong.

SPEAKER_00 31:56

But like they should be, but but so the the one but but no, meaning like if I would have got how many ounces in a fucking pound. I don't know. Like I would have to.

SPEAKER_05 32:05

I knew that. I knew that one because that I've taught. Like some of the other stuff, unless you're literally like I haven't taught social studies in a really long time. Like, I mean, I guess I should have. I and I was never a con like I'm not I think I'm not content special.

SPEAKER_00 32:18

Like I know some really, really academically brilliant people.

SPEAKER_05 32:22

Like don't know like don't know geography.

SPEAKER_00 32:25

No, no, geography.

SPEAKER_05 32:26

I have to tell you, like, like I do not feel as though my high school prepared me geographically.

SPEAKER_00 32:32

No, I really don't. But even to the point like maybe history-wise. In the 90s, I know somebody who like let's just say they had to go to Florida or something, right? They ended up like in fucking main. Like, like, like there's but but they're smart, like they're like academically smart. Interesting. And that's a yeah, and that's an acol academically.

SPEAKER_05 32:53

Yes. But do you think do you think it's also directional? Like, do they not have a great sense of direction as well? Because no, I think I'm not great with geography, but I am fantastic with directions. Like I can go somewhere once and I can tell you how to get there.

SPEAKER_00 33:09

Right.

SPEAKER_05 33:10

And how to get home, probably after that one time.

SPEAKER_00 33:12

I've always, Gina used to get lost a lot and uh like go into like certain things, certain areas. So I always taught my kids because my dad taught me as a kid.

SPEAKER_05 33:21

Look at landmarks.

SPEAKER_00 33:22

Well, no, if you want to go to the beach, go east. Like, like, so even to this day, like if I if I if I lose track where I'm at, and if I see west on a sign, you know you're going to lie. Yeah, but that's saved be a couple.

SPEAKER_05 33:34

Yeah, no, I'm beach. But I'm talking about more like literally like side streets and stuff like that. Like I can find, I still remember because you got ADHD previous. But I still remember, like, I I had friends who lived in Old Bridge, like Old Bridge, Lawrence Harbor, and like back roads like that. And I can still get you knew some rough people. I I still can get. And and then I knew people like like my ex lived down the shore in in Longbridge, like Asbury Park area. I can get back roads there. Like my kids are like, what did you how did you know how to get here? And I'm like, I don't know, just muscle memory, or like you drive somewhere so many times, it's so you remember it.

SPEAKER_00 34:16

Just it's interesting driving with an avid cyclist, like I used to be. So I used to ride my bike to the shore. Okay, you know what I mean. I meet my family.

SPEAKER_05 34:26

Yeah, but it's different, right?

SPEAKER_00 34:27

You take different roads, much different, right? Right. But but so when you're driving to this day, wherever I'm at in New Jersey, like these crazy roads like in Jackson, where I knew exactly that's Monroe Township, Princeton, uh Montgomery, Hillsborough. Like these side roads, like we go into someone's house, you'll know. You'll be like, oh my god, I rode my bike on a side like like like all the time. Right.

SPEAKER_03 34:51

It's like yeah, right.

SPEAKER_00 34:53

It was this real, like dating a guy who's an H V A C guy, and the the the girlfriend's in the car, and he's trying to go, yeah, I worked in that house. I worked in that house. I worked in that house 20 years ago. So funny. It's so funny. But it's the same thing.

SPEAKER_05 35:06

Like, I you know what's funny about that is that when I go into the high school or I go into any clip, I I'm like, oh my god, I had that kid in camp. Oh my god, I had that kid in camp. Oh my god, I remember that one. Yeah, uh so it's very similar. It's very funny.

SPEAKER_00 35:18

Yeah, teachers have that.

SPEAKER_05 35:20

Uh yeah. I'll be driving, and it's interesting. I'll be driving around the city that I work in, and I'll be on some random corner, like driving from one place to the other. And I'm like, oh, in the city, like, so it's not like it's a small area. And I'm like, oh my goodness, I had that child in third grade. Like, yeah, just random. And you want to, you know, but I can't. You can't, like, you can't roll down your regular and be like, hey. Plus, I don't always remember their names. Yeah. I feel horrible.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

Right.

SPEAKER_05 35:50

I'm like, hi, sweetie. You know, you give one of those, you know, like generic things.

SPEAKER_04 35:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 35:55

But um, that's funny. Yeah, I can I can get around very, very easily in places that I've been before.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

Yeah, yeah. I probably could too. I just don't uh I should show it. I got a rule when I get out of my car, like with my family. Right. Like, like with China, like it's like the GPS always has to be on, even if you want to a place like.

SPEAKER_05 36:16

Well, we've talked about that because I do that often.

SPEAKER_00 36:18

Because of the accidents. Well, it'll boy track. Right, right, right. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 36:22

Yeah. But you know what I find though that I've found annoying lately? So I put it on every day, right? And especially when I'm leaving the house, sometimes it'll take me to take to it'll tell me to go one way, and then I'll purposely like, and it's that's not like going on the turnpike or anything like that. It's like going to the turnpike. It's telling me to go like riders instead of like going down to Summerhill. And I'll go to Summerhill and it knocks off like three minutes, and I'm like, what the hell?

SPEAKER_01 36:48

Right.

SPEAKER_05 36:49

Well, you that's three minutes makes a big deal. Like it's a big difference for me, three minutes in the morning. It's a difference between an accident and no accident, like yesterday.

SPEAKER_00 36:57

I think because I don't use ways enough sometimes where I'm not hit, I'm not paying attention, I'm hitting the wrong option. You know what I mean? It brings me some weird, weird. Well, you know why? Because you have no tolls. Right, right. That's why.

SPEAKER_05 37:11

So if you have no tolls, it's taking you the scenic route, like my dad used to call the Sunday drive. Like where the person is they got nothing to worry about except their Sunday drive.

SPEAKER_00 37:24

So I I I'm following like some fun Instagram things that I don't think anybody else would find that interesting. But it's this guy, he has an electric bike and he has the metaglasses.

SPEAKER_03 37:36

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:37

And he just drives around Newark and he goes, Look at these potholes, look at the potholes. And he talks just like this with a high page.

SPEAKER_05 37:46

So it's almost like a GoPro.

SPEAKER_00 37:48

Right, yeah, exactly. But it's on your eyes, so you don't have to hold anything.

SPEAKER_05 37:51

And he goes, Look at these potholes. How come?

SPEAKER_00 37:53

And he talks like real sweet, like uh, like you know, and but he's so he's calling out. But he just talks to people, go, where did you get that car? You know what I mean? And it's just these these just regular conversations, nothing, not and this is why I like it from last week's podcast. Nothing sensational about it. Nothing.

SPEAKER_05 38:10

He's not drama cause. He's just having it.

SPEAKER_00 38:13

And I and I'll watch I'll I'll watch it all day. I'm commenting on it. And I'm like, I'm only like the only white guy commenting on it. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 38:21

And he's like that's awesome, though. And I bet you everybody loves to talk to him, right? Probably they're just like, hey, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:28

You know, a lot of his stuff gets like only like 15, 20 likes, but he gets those hands, like every like fifth reels, like five. But the content is nothing like how old is he? Would you say I don't know, probably 30.

SPEAKER_03 38:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 38:40

But my point, I was telling I I thought a while ago, and and I I um he was in East Brunswick one day. I don't know if I sent you a post. So in the town we live on on Route 18, he was hanging on eight.

SPEAKER_03 38:53

Oh, this guy?

SPEAKER_00 38:54

Yeah, he was recording something. You go, look at this, look at what we found here. We got a weave. Somebody dropped her a weave, right? So this is how I found though, because it was hashtag East Brunswick and he goes, He goes, and if I want to take a bath, there's a bathtub on the sidewalk. I can take a bath if I want. On Route 18. Yeah, which is nice. It's really stupid, but it was just like so engaging.

SPEAKER_05 39:15

I wonder if he knows the rider's lane walker. Do you have we ever talked about him?

SPEAKER_00 39:19

No.

SPEAKER_05 39:19

Yeah, uh, yeah, well, okay, then you phone because you don't drive down that way. No, not my. That's very cool.

SPEAKER_00 39:26

He just goes around the city, but but but he develops these interesting discussions, and I think he does these discussions on purpose. Like, like he'll film something on purpose to create a discussion, like I like to do in ISON EP. Like you throw it out there. So an example of that would be these beautiful apartments going up in Newark. And uh everybody say they're trying to kick us out. You know, and he means, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 39:53

And then it starts, it stirs the pot. But what's that word?

SPEAKER_00 39:56

There's a word that's in that community that I know I you probably know the word, but I I didn't know the word. Gentrification. Yeah, gentrification. Yeah, yeah. But everybody was I never heard that word used on a social media post. Like have you?

SPEAKER_05 40:11

Oh yeah. Absolutely, because I can't. Right. And gentrification happens in inner cities. If you if you have any experience with inner cities, yeah, I had no experience in inner cities. You know about gentrification because they're they try to fight out. But it was like New Brunswick is a prime example of gentrification because of Johnson and Johnson.

SPEAKER_00 40:33

But my point was he was so creative with his content, I think he wanted that discussion to outstar in the pop.

SPEAKER_05 40:40

Yes, I'm sure he did. And that's it, or organically and not so organically creating it. Well, that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_00 40:46

No, no, I think he purposely caught it without complaining about it. He was like, look how amazing this is.

SPEAKER_05 40:52

Uh-huh. He brings on other people to complain about it.

SPEAKER_00 40:55

Or just to start a discussion.

SPEAKER_05 40:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:57

Yeah. Interesting. Yeah, it was good. I'll send you to stuff. Yeah, it's fun.

SPEAKER_05 41:01

Yeah, gentrification is a really big problem in these cities because they what they do is all of the outskirts of the city are beautiful. Right. And then there's like one concentration. Right. There's one concentrated section, right sex right smack in the middle, where these people feel like there's nowhere for them to go.

SPEAKER_00 41:20

No, I know. And what was interesting though was that I would say it was split 50-50 with the people within the community. I'm I yeah, you could tell who he was talking to? Well, how they felt about it. Right, right, right. That's what I mean. And then there was other people that he goes, I lived here 40 years and this particular building was abandoned for 35 years.

SPEAKER_05 41:46

And now it's not.

SPEAKER_00 41:48

Right? But people are like, look, we don't pull our money together to do it ourselves, so outsiders do it. Right, right. Exactly.

SPEAKER_05 41:54

Like, so that's what people say sometimes. Like you know, before they came in. And also, no, but they don't, I don't I've never heard people say pull their money, but like the argument for that is it sat empty and gross and abandoned for many because there are areas in Jersey City that were the same way. I mean, when I first started teaching there on the waterfront, um a little while after I started teaching there, they built a new school um on like the waterfront, um, by like Liberty State Park, but sort of by there.

SPEAKER_00 42:26

And um funny how beautiful Jersey City is.

SPEAKER_05 42:29

Well, we had a parking lot to park in. So it was right across from the medical center, and it was this big empty lot, and the district rented it out for the teachers because it was two schools that they had built, brand new schools, and there was a lot of staff that needed parking. And downtown Jersey City, there's no parking on the streets, like it's hard.

SPEAKER_00 42:47

So um like frost school, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 42:49

Oh, yeah, yeah. So uh yeah, exactly like that. Sorry, so um, we would have to drive around like for an hour before school to find a spot. So they rented this parking lot, and within two years, yeah, a developer built it up, bought it up, yeah, said, Okay, for a little while, we will rent you a spot for $50 a month for the teachers. And we were all like, forget that. And then before we knew it, it's now high rises and it's not even, you know, it's these gorgeous whatever. So it the whole entire it was an empty lot forever. That's what I'm saying. So within five years, and that was that was uh before like that was 2008, nine. So you're talking at least 15, you know, 15 years ago.

SPEAKER_00 43:42

This is uh this is a new jersey thing, but in Asbury Park, did you see what they're building in Asbury Park? But where the wonder bar is and stuff? What is it? I think they're building these uh like a part, but they're like 10 million each.

SPEAKER_05 43:54

I know. I mean, but isn't that what's happening in long branch, though?

SPEAKER_00 43:58

The 10 million each long branch. Is the same way. That's kicking out people who make it 200 grand a year. Like it's not just I know.

SPEAKER_05 44:04

But long branch was the same exact way.

SPEAKER_00 44:07

No, but not 10 million.

SPEAKER_05 44:08

I don't know about that. Have you looked? I don't know what the long branch real estate is nowadays.

SPEAKER_00 44:13

I don't know. Amazing. I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 44:15

It's pretty crazy down there. Those high rises that are right on the beach. Nobody's building in front of you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:21

You're going to have an understanding. How do you say gentrification?

SPEAKER_05 44:24

Gentrification. G E C that's where I'm good. I'm very good at spelling. G E N T R I F I C A T I O N. Gentrification. I have to spell it out, though.

SPEAKER_00 44:41

In order for me to see gentrification. Everybody can double check that.

SPEAKER_05 44:45

It was right. I'm a good spell. I may not be good at geography. I'm questionable at science. I'm okay at math. I'm very good at English.

SPEAKER_00 44:56

I'm just lucky.

SPEAKER_05 44:58

And I look like a moron. But um gentrification is it's a tough thing.

SPEAKER_01 45:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 45:06

It is. It's not easy for people. Um and it's not easy to watch. I remember, remember when they first started knocking those in New Brunswick?

SPEAKER_01 45:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 45:16

And then didn't they move some of them over to like um Borden Town at like over there by what what would what um I don't know if they moved to move the people? Yeah, like they gave them, like they they told them that they could, but yeah, like there was so I they not moved them like move like but like those part of like the affordable housing stuff in each other that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_00 45:37

That's what I mean. Like gave them spots. People in those communities, what what what they found was people in those communities they didn't want to go to East Brunswick. They didn't feel comfortable.

SPEAKER_05 45:49

Right, right, right, right, right, like it like I don't I don't like I don't know how I feel about that. Right, I know I I have a hard time. So I used to picking people up and moving them to say, here, we'll give you a we'll give you a ch a choice uh two towns over.

SPEAKER_00 46:03

Like but it's a totally different and that's not where I chose to live.

SPEAKER_05 46:07

Like how do you do that to people? I don't understand that.

SPEAKER_00 46:10

My first photography job, I I used to go to um inner cities to do baby portraits. I we I've got to do that. Yeah, we talked about this, yeah. But uh I I went up those high rises on Memorial Parkway in New Brunswick, and I walked up there. Everybody's so nice, like what like what's like like super, super nice. It was always like the grandma's there, and always they always worked at the hospitals.

SPEAKER_05 46:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 46:32

Always like St. Peter's in Newark, they worked at Newark.

SPEAKER_05 46:35

I bet you those employ a lot of people. Like that's what it is. Exactly what it is.

SPEAKER_00 46:39

Yeah, a lot of nurses, like at every level, every level, exactly. Every level, and I remember walking up there, she goes, she looked at me like scared. She goes, Why did they send you up here? Because they should I told them not to send you up here.

SPEAKER_05 46:53

Why they were scared? She was told she was nervous for you.

SPEAKER_00 46:55

Yeah. And she walked me down to my car.

SPEAKER_05 46:57

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 46:58

Make sure I got my cart and watched me drive away.

SPEAKER_05 47:01

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 47:02

Yeah. Yeah. So nice.

SPEAKER_05 47:04

I think I'm a little naive to that.

SPEAKER_00 47:07

I was.

SPEAKER_05 47:08

Yeah. At 21?

SPEAKER_00 47:10

I mean, because I I would I was that guy who had a lot of diverse friends when it wasn't popular. So, like to me, it was just normal.

SPEAKER_05 47:16

And do you know what's interesting? I think that I was less naive to that when I first started where I'm teaching. And now I think I'm more I don't see it as much. No, you won't. Because I'm in there, you know? So it's like I look at it differently.

SPEAKER_00 47:33

Um, I can totally get that.

SPEAKER_05 47:35

It doesn't scare, like things don't I'm not, I don't get ner, you know, um, I don't get nervous. I still that's not always a good thing, though. Like sometimes I think I'm desensitized to some of the things and I just sort of walk.

SPEAKER_00 47:46

Right. Yeah, yeah. You know, or and I shouldn't but in my twenties, I was in like some of the roughest areas in the and it I didn't even phase me. You know, I was didn't even phase me.

SPEAKER_05 47:57

I got a um I got a text from yesterday from um a principal, my favorite principal that I ever worked for. I call him my a teacher's principal. He literally was the best person I think I have ever worked for in the education system. Literally, I've talked about him before. He's the one that just allowed people, he's he surrounded himself with people who knew more than him about things, and he respected that you brought what you brought to the table. And people just wanted, you know, you wanted to be people. Well, our leadership. Right. Um, and he ran the school that he ran that when they first opened, I mean, it was like the movie Dangerous Minds. Do you remember that movie? No. With Michelle Pfeiffer, like literally, like it's just like um like lean on, like um, uh not lean on me.

SPEAKER_00 48:38

I don't remember anything after movies like your daughter.

SPEAKER_05 48:42

No, that um the movie where East Side High, where they Oh right, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:47

Jack Clark.

SPEAKER_05 48:48

Yeah, yes, Joe Clark, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 48:51

Um that was cool, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 48:53

So um that was our high school. I mean, not high school, we were in middle school. That's what it was like. I mean, it was rough when we first opened. Right. Rough.

SPEAKER_04 49:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 49:00

And he built this unbelievable school. And um he just um he texts, he sends us a text every year. He and the head custodian have a Christmas party and a um and an end of year. They're retired, by the way, and they have been since before I had my kids, my kids are 14. So they've been retired for that long, but they still every year there's a little dive bar in Jersey City that they rent that that one the custodian works at, and they there's a back room and we just chill, and it's the same people that I worked with 20 years ago. Oh wow, that are like family to me. But my point is that that environment created like it was like us against the world, right?

SPEAKER_00 49:52

Made a change. Literally, like was he tough like that Joe Clark guy? Or or had his own style like that?

SPEAKER_05 49:59

He had his own style. He he's literally no bigger than a minute. Um, white guy, no bigger than a minute, but he had a presence and also I don't even know if it was necessarily his presence, although it was his leadership, not necessarily, it's hard to explain, not necessarily his presence, but it was his leadership and his his his ability to see in us. We were young and we were like hungry, and we were like motivated teachers who wanted, we thought we could change the world, and we were like, bring it on, right? Like, bring it on. And he knew that about us. And he let you know it. He did. And so, you know, we had, yeah, we changed that school.

SPEAKER_00 50:42

No, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_05 50:43

In like four years, I said I'd say we changed that school. Um, and I mean, uh to go back every year, like I'm gonna go back there the last day of school, and just to, you know, to say, like, you know, you've been through the rain, you know, yeah, it's it's it's cool, it's cool, but um it's a different animal. Yeah, you know, it's totally different animal. No, it is that area, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:06

Yeah, yeah. I was there for three, four years. It was a lot.

SPEAKER_05 51:10

And it brings you, you know, it makes you see the world from a different perspective, I feel like, don't you?

SPEAKER_00 51:15

Oh, no, it definitely means. I I I remember like thinking like how are some of these kids gonna get out of here?

SPEAKER_05 51:19

Always.

SPEAKER_00 51:20

Yeah, like just it's nearly impossible. Born behind the eight ball, I say.

SPEAKER_05 51:24

Yeah, I always say, Yeah, a lot of these kids were born behind the eight ball that no matter what the hell they do.

SPEAKER_00 51:29

Yeah. Back then it was really the grandmons holding everything together. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 51:34

That's common. Still is common.

SPEAKER_00 51:36

Is it?

SPEAKER_05 51:36

Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 51:37

Mm-hmm. Um, it's the child of resilience that gets through, right? That makes it through. I think isn't that everywhere? It's just that for them, I guess you need extra resilience. I don't know. I in this world, I think it's not it's I I yeah, I don't I don't know, but but that that whole um gentrification thing and that um because that's where our high school was built. Uh our it wasn't a high school, it was a middle school. I keep forgetting that. I'm in a high school now. That created the school gentrification.

SPEAKER_00 52:10

Oh, I got you.

SPEAKER_05 52:12

So those two school, and actually now if you look at who goes to that elementary school, right?

SPEAKER_00 52:23

Different crowd.

SPEAKER_05 52:24

A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 52:25

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 52:26

100%.

SPEAKER_00 52:27

Yeah. Yeah. It's so good. That's why Jersey City has a charter school issue.

SPEAKER_05 52:32

It is.

SPEAKER_00 52:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 52:34

It is.

SPEAKER_00 52:34

And I I I know a guy who lives in Jersey City uh uh that I grew up with, a black kid, black guy, and uh he uh he I teaches like in the Newark school system now. But but he sent his kids to the charter schools.

SPEAKER_02 52:50

I know.

SPEAKER_00 52:50

But well both some people want to some people some black kids who grew up in a white community, they don't want their kids to grow up in just a white community. They want it more diversified.

SPEAKER_05 53:01

They want it more diversified. I get that. Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 53:03

But they also don't want to go to the school. Right. So so they that that that's where I I make an exception to charter schools.

SPEAKER_05 53:14

So it's it's interesting that you should say that. And I don't make an exception. I'm not gonna bash any one school district. I think as an educator, what I'm realizing is that the system is broken and it's almost beyond repair at this point. Like, um I I actually, you know, um it towards the end of the school year, right? Like, you don't know what to do with yourself. And um most of the academics are taught already, and the kids really are restless. And so I was trying to think, like, while I'm, you know, um my brain, you know how I get. I always tell you I need a project. Like, I get so bored. So I started to think about like what could I focus on? I'm almost at the end of my you know, public school career. Um, I always said I'd write a book, or or uh, you know, my funny thing was I could write a sitcom and it would be much funnier than uh Abbott Elementary or anything because that's not even that accurate, Abbott Elementary. I mean, it's okay, but it's not really, you know, if you're gonna do it accurately, it it can it has to be on cable TV. It has to be uncensored. You can't, otherwise you're what you're you're cleaning it up and it's not it's not it's not authentic.

SPEAKER_01 54:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 54:23

But um, so I started to reflect on like the things that I've learned. So in the next 13 days, I think it's 13 days left of school. I think in the next 13 days, I'm gonna focus on like one major thing I learned about education as a whole and like what's wrong with education as a whole. I don't know. I'm just trying to find a project. I need a project. We need a project. We need a project. We'll figure out do you have a summer project?

SPEAKER_00 54:48

No, I don't.

SPEAKER_05 54:49

Do you like to do that or no?

SPEAKER_00 54:50

Yeah, I would. Yeah. I yeah.

SPEAKER_05 54:53

Do you ever get like like squirrely like I am right now? Or you feel like that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_00 54:57

I mean that's what the eyes on E B is for me, but um, you know, um, yeah, no. A project meaning like learning something?

SPEAKER_05 55:05

No, no, no, not necessarily just focus. Like you always laugh at me because you say that when we finish something major, I get like I'm on like an endorphin high.

SPEAKER_00 55:15

And I like want to like throw you out of project, you gotta uh get derailed.

SPEAKER_05 55:19

I know. I did get derailed, but no, I didn't get derailed. We it's not easy, man, starting a business.

SPEAKER_00 55:25

No, I meant the other one. I meant the uh the gallery.

SPEAKER_05 55:29

Oh, oh okay.

SPEAKER_04 55:31

Yeah, we do have a good project coming up.

SPEAKER_00 55:33

So maybe we'll jump on that again.

SPEAKER_05 55:34

I think that's a good idea. See, he always knows how to bring me right back. Right back. And we will see you right back here next week.

SPEAKER_01 55:43

Take care, everyone. Bye.