A very small story about Desiree Rogers (White House Social Sec).

[Ninga]

During the week of the big snow storm, 2 teachers from NE Ohio were in DC with some of their high school students, (along with 100 other students and teachers from other states).

They were at the White House the Tuesday of the snow storm and were scheduled to be there only until 2PM.

But the students got an unplanned for surprise, they were invited to a concert to be held later in the day in the East Room at the WH.(it made sense that because the majority of the invited guests were not going to be able to attend due to the storm, the students would help fill the room).

Later in the day the teachers and students walked back to the WH and stood in line outside in blizzard conditions for nearly 1/2 hour before going inside and through security.

As I heard the story directly from one of the teachers, the high school students were extremely excited and extremely well behaved. The teachers were very very proud of them.

Once inside the WH and past security the teachers and students waited to file into the East Room but were pulled aside and a told to wait. The teachers worried there was a problem. But there wasn't. Instead their students were given the honor of sitting in the front row along with the families of the President and the VP. (The teachers sat in rows behind the students). This was arranged by one of the concert producers not a staff person at the WH.

The teacher who told me the story told me how they got very excited for their students and gestured in disbelief with pleasure at the coveted seats when Desiree Rogers appeared and immediately and verbally dressed the teachers down and warned them that their behavior boarded on being "greedy". The teachers were stunned at how their joy could have been interpreted by Ms. Rogers in such a negative way.

This is a tiny story with a huge moral. The moral to this story is that if Ms. Rogers needed to make her presence known by throwing her "important" weight around at a small insignificant time, it is good she is going because she does not belong in the people's house.

It is also insightful to the dynamic of the vibe of Ms. Rogers. I think she craved the spotlight and loved the attention.

However my guess is that she would not have treated bigwigs the way she did the teachers.

I hold the belief that our character is how we behave when no one is looking.

Good-bye Ms. Rogers, I hope the new Social Secretary is more social and less socialite.

[TwilightGardener]

1. I would think the First Lady would be very disappointed to hear this story.

Maybe it's good that she's going, then.

[formercia]

2. After all, it is the "Peoples' House."

Andrew Jackson took it to extremes.

[asjr]

5. Yes, I understand he rode his horse into the W.H.

[formercia]

13. Animal House.

the Redux.

[Ninga]

4. It is hard to predict how a person will be affected by the DC "big show" environment. Desiree

Rogers was asked to do the specific job of Social Sec., which included a lot of behind-the-scenes detail work. She may have been a Chicago power-suit executive with great success, but I think that she tried to overpower the humble aspect required of the Social Sec. position.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

10. From what I've heard, DC didn't change her. She arrived that way. nt

[asjr]

3. Good manners can be in the eye of the beholder.

[Ninga]

7. Successful people at any position have strong intution and strong people skills and can

assess situations with perspective.

[WolverineDG]

6. They didn't ask for the special treatment

so how could they be "greedy?" :eyes:

Yeah, bye & riddance to this anti-Social secretary. The whole point of etiquette is to be polite & gracious, no matter how poorly people are acting (or how poorly you think they're acting).

dg

[Ninga]

8. Well exactly. My whole point in this tiny story is that it is the tip of the iceberg and

demonstrates how someone in her position can get full-of-themselves to the detriment of the whole.

[nykym]

9. I think MS Obama needs

to hear this story so she does not choose the same type of person. Clearly Ms Rogers need to brush up on finishing school etiquette - such bad manners!

[peacetalksforall]

11. Doesn't look good, but I would like to hear the other side of the story.

Was it before or after the announcement that she was leaving. There seem to be confusing authorities.

They were invited by whom?

The concert people told them were to sit?

She wasn't briefed? Someone overruled her? Crossed signals or instructions or approvals?

By her words it appears she assumed that they rushed into the seats.

I hope it doesn't make it into a book about Obama without the other half.

[Rebubula]

12. I agree...

..one person's anecdote (especially one that feels wronged) does not always show the whole story.

[goclark]

14. Exactly! nt

[Ninga]

15. Very simple story. 2 teachers and 12 students were asked to step aside and wait in the hall

before entering the East Room.

The teachers were then told that the students would be seated in the front row.

The teacher told me how they got excited about the honor for the students and gestured toward where they would be sitting.


Ms. Rogers then commented. The teacher who told me about what happened is seasoned and so is the peer teacher. They both were taken aback and totally surprised at the attitude displayed toward them by Ms. Rogers. She didn't speak to them quietly or adult to adult.

The 2 teachers and 12 students had been in the WH earlier that day attending workshops scheduled by an organization outside of the WH, and the teachers were very proud of how the students dealt with the very unusual challenges of schedule change and walking in the blizzard.

Take it as you will, but I think the little story is insightful.

[never cry wolf]

16. If the students and teachers had this prime seating

that would mean others attending the concert did not, nor did others have a chance. If their "gesturing" was excessive or loud enough to be noticed by the other guests not sitting in prime seats, it could easily be interpreted as rude gloating.

I also seriously doubt the concert people arranged the seating. I would think it would be the press dept. (for the photo ops) with approval from security.

[peacetalksforall]

17. Treat it like a journalist -

Caps just for questions from me, not shouting.

"The teachers were then told that the students would be seated in the front row."

BY WHOM?

"The teacher told me how they got excited about the honor for the students and gestured toward where they would be sitting.

Ms. Rogers then commented. "

FROM THIS POINT, we only know what the teachers saw.

If I were the teachers I would take the stand that the main problem is that someone gave an instruction that was unitlateral or in defiance of the person in charge. Rogers appears to think that she was in charge and she probably assumed that the students being young were taking advantage. Was she out of the loop? Or directing anger at the wrong person group.

I'm not defending her - I just see it as a story that has another side.

Whether she was diplomatic or not is a separate subject. May have been on edge if she new that this was the LAST EVENT FOR HER.

"The teacher who told me about what happened is seasoned and so is the peer teacher. They both were taken aback and totally surprised at the attitude displayed toward them by Ms. Rogers. She didn't speak to them quietly or adult to adult.

The 2 teachers and 12 students had been in the WH earlier that day attending workshops scheduled by an organization outside of the WH, and the teachers were very proud of how the students dealt with the very unusual challenges of schedule change and walking in the blizzard."