Monday, March 16, 2009

Story Time With "Mr. B"

Tom Brzezinski grew up in Catonsville, where he developed a passion for movies. Mr. B decided he wanted to be an educator and in 1965, began his 42 year career at Waterloo Elementary school at a time when the education system was changing. The days of librarians with buns were numbered.

Mr. B went on to teach at Bryant Woods & Clemens Crossing elementary schools creating a plethora of personas like farmer B to breathe new life into old media and foster a love of reading in children. Mr. B has been known to keep pets in the library and even a leprechaun! He often vocalizes the characters in books like Herschel & The Hanukkah Goblins and incorporates parents and even the king of Sweden into his curriculum.

But the magic doesn't end when the bell rings. Mr. B had the best Halloween house in town and has been Columbia's Santa since 1967. He remembers the teacher's hangout JK's Pub and the friends he's made there like Howard Zane. Columbia has changed a lot since Mr. B started teaching here, for better or worse. In spite of changes in education like No Child Left Behind and retirement, Mr. B teaches on!

(Each link is an audio file of Mr. B, available for download)

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