by Jeffrey Stanley

“I’m in class right now,” he whispered. Network administrator Greg George had consented to a quick interview by phone and I had caught him in the middle of his Upper School robotics class. “I have to take a call!” he announced to his students. “Don’t get excited. It’s not Fifty Cents, it’s someone else!” Greg stepped into the back office of the science lab. “Am I saying that right?” he asked after the door was closed. “The students are teaching me how to pronounce these hip-hop names.”

1. How long have you worked at BFS?
I’ve been here for 18 years. When I was first hired, I was the computer teacher. I taught second through ninth grades—computer literacy.

2. How did the robotics and programming class come about?
First it was an engineering class. We’d build models of bridges. We’re going back seven years now. Slowly it became a robotics and computer programming class. I really took it over from Hyacinth [Foster, BFS science teacher]. She’s the one who taught the engineering class. She set up the foundation for what the course is today.

3. Why do you think a robotics class is important?
It’s hands-on learning. You get tactile, instant feedback. It’s pretty nice.

4. What for you is the best part of teaching?
I love the interaction with the students. They come up with the best questions. It’s great to have that stimulus every day.

5. What’s the worst part?
The logistics. Getting the equipment in place and hoping it works, which it usually doesn’t at first. Also I’ll have students at different stages of their projects in the same classroom at the same time. One might be soldering circuits while another one is testing a robot on the floor, and another one’s working with a computer program.

6. You’re not only a teacher though. You’re the school’s network administrator. What does that mean?
I do hardware repair for the Macs and PCs. I also work with the administrative offices on their special hardware needs. I always have plenty to do, put it that way.

7. Where does the networking come in?
When I came here we had Apple 2e’s. Remember those little things? Then we had a few PCs donated to us by parents. Then we bought a couple of our own. Then we built simple networks between them. As we got more equipment we expanded the network. It took us years to get where we are now.

8. What do you like about being a network administrator?
I enjoy moving around, coming into contact with different people. Some people want to stay still in one place while they work. I like a job that lets me move around and problem-solve.

9. Don’t you ever feel taken for granted?
Yes, but I consider that a good thing. If some people take me for granted it means I’m doing a good job and nothing’s wrong. If other people don’t know my name, it means everything’s working.

10. You have a great attitude. What do you do when you’re not busting heads here at BFS?
Believe it or not, Jeff, I have about seven computers at home that I like to play with.

11. So you sit around playing videogames with people over the Internet, right?
No, I rarely play games. I work with hardware, physical systems. I like to test out new products and download new programs to see how they work.

12. Where were you born?
I was born in Petersburg, Virginia, but I grew up in Harlem.

13. Cool, I’m from Virginia and I live in Harlem now. I’m following in your footsteps. Where did you grow up exactly?
On 141st Street and St. Nicholas. I was right across the street from St. Nicholas Park.

14. I know where that is, I bike past there.
As a kid I loved it because I could cross the street and ride my bike all the way down to 137th Street and I didn’t have to worry about crossing the street, which made my parents happy.

15. Okay, one of the big questions in this column: do you have a favorite New York City restaurant?
Not really.

16. You know that’s blasphemy.
I live in New Jersey. It’s like a two-hour commute. I live out near Rutgers. I have to get up around 5:00, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays for my early class, 4:30.

17. Fine, you’re off the hook on that one. What three things would you need with you on a desert island?
One, of course, would be a computer. And a generator to power it. And a good supply of coffee. Nothing fancy, no latte and all of that stuff. Just coffee and a little milk and sugar.

18. You’re a practical man with practical tastes. What’s your sign?
Pisces.

19. And what’s your family situation? Kids?
I’ve been married for 31 years. My wife is a communication technician. We have one daughter, who is 21. She’s at Stanford about to graduate. She majored in environmental engineering.

20. You must be very proud of your family. But I have to ask you one last question—what exactly is a communication technician?
If you ask me what that is, I’ll have to go look it up!

back to current 20 Questions interview