A guest speaker came and spoke to the teachers in my district and what he had to say was stunning.
Apparently this guy had won a scholarship out of the projects and he played professional football for years. He talked about how his parents always stressed education as important. He tried hard in school and fought and eventually, won a scholarship. He felt as if he’d made it!
A few years living the high life he got a phone call that a couple kids had gone in and done a gang killing . . . killing all his family. He told us that they were illiterate and actually admitted later they hit the wrong house. They had read the street name wrong.
You can see his point. While he was the kid that mentors, teachers, and parents paid attention to, there were at least two that people gave up on. they got attention from the gang and without education went out to do the gang’s dirty work.
This particular NFL football player travels to schools to tell his story. As a teacher, it was a major wake-up call. There is always at least one student in the class that you are tempted to just let go, to ignore. You figure they’ll never get it and they’ll never try. Well, as the story so ghastly shows, those could be the ones who end up killing your family. Every kid is important. As a teacher I know how I can reach out. It might take more creativity for the average person out there. I think it’s worth considering.
Hi. I'm Damien Riley, MA.
6 Comments
Damien, I believe there is much truth to two things I heard play a larger role in crime than anyone wants to admit or really deal with:
Poor nutrition (i.e., sugars, etc.)
Illiteracy
Your school is lucky he came as a reminder of how much difference literacy makes in ways we never would have thought.
Speaking of the nutrition, 98% of my school’s population gets free state provided lunch. that means their household income is below the poverty line. So if we can get them food and literacy, we just might save some lives! Good comment.
Wow! It’s a shocking way to make a point, made all the more powerful by coming from the mouth of the person that experienced it. As you say, “stunning!”
In all seriousness, if the parents of those boys read blogs like yours as concerned parents, lives might have been saved! Thanks for the comment Rory.
Few things– I like the message behind this post. Exactly why I went into literacy tutoring. Two — state funded lunch is awesome if they’re providing the students with healthy meals, many of which don’t seem to. Three, who was the NFL player?
Yes the free lunches are totally disgusting imo and not enough. BUT, to these kids they are welcomed because their folks often don’t have the sbility to make them a lunch.
The retired football guy was “Merril” something? I don’t pay attention because I don’t watch football, but I will see if I can get the name for you.