A student blows up at a teacher, drops the F-bomb. The usual approach at Lincoln – and, safe to say, at most high schools in this country – is automatic suspension. Instead, Sporleder sits the kid down and says quietly: “Wow. Are you OK? This doesn’t sound like you. What’s going on?”
He gets even more specific: “You really looked stressed. On a scale of 1-10, where are you with your anger?” The kid was ready. Ready, man! For an anger blast to his face….”How could you do that?” “What’s wrong with you?”…and for the big boot out of school. But he was NOT ready for kindness.
The armor-plated defenses melt like ice under a blowtorch and the words pour out: “My dad’s an alcoholic. He’s promised me things my whole life and never keeps those promises.” The waterfall of words that go deep into his home life, which is no piece of breeze, end with this sentence: “I shouldn’t have blown up at the teacher.” Whoa.
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Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, tries new approach to school discipline — suspensions drop 85% (via mchotdog)
wow… that hits home
(via eirelav-morelatitude)
“If You know Your History, then You Will Know Where You’re Coming From”
I used this line from Bob Marley’s song “Buffalo Soldier” because it not only speaks truth to many who listen to it, but really relates to me as well. Africa has always been one of the continents that I wanted to…
The African History of Ireland & Its People
The legacy of black nobility and ruler ship within Europe is often scoffed at and excused as ‘black nationalist propaganda’ despite vast amounts of documented history proving the aforementioned. Such discussions threatens some, as it does not merely…
That last post went over so well that I feel the need to redeem myself. How about something truly one of a kind? The One and Only Presidential Museum (yep, that is the actual name of the place) in Williamsburg, Ohio is the brainchild of the one and only Nick Pahys. So what’s this thing about, you ask? In case you didn’t know, George Washington wasn’t the first U.S. President, John Hanson was. Followed by Presidents #2 through #8: Elias Boudinot, Thomas Miffin, Richard Henry Lee, John Hancock, Nathaniel Gorham, Arthur St. Clair and Cyrus Griffen. Who are these dudes? Well, before the U.S. Constitution there was thing called the Articles of Confederation, which was a complete failure because it gave power to the states and there was no central government. John Hanson was technically “President” in 1781, followed every year by the other guys until George Washington was elected under the new system in 1789. But was John Hanson really President when it was just a ceremonial title with no real executive power? I would think so, but Nick disagrees so he opened his museum over twenty years ago to correct the wrong and set the record straight. There are many hand-painted signs and portraits adorning the 2-story wood frame museum with such exclamations as “George W. Bush is not the 43rd President of the United States…he will never be…whether you like it or not.” Inside there is a bar that sells “Presidential Museum” beer and a general store. Upstairs is a large, cluttered room full of tables and chairs, posters, books, photos and assorted items. All the Presidents are represented with portraits lining the walls, but the the biggest portrait is not of Hanson, but of Pahys himself. Because this place is located in Ohio, another room is dedicated solely to the seven U.S. presidents who were born there. So don’t forget, in the mind of Nick Pahys, Barack Obama is the 52nd President, not the 44th. But that’s not the crazy part. Regarding the Obama/McCain election, Nick believes it is the “most unusual election I’ve seen in my entire life” and that Obama is being secretly bankrolled by Chicago’s political machine and that his favorable media coverage was due to his lavish spending on political ads. He also thinks it is “ridiculous that a man in my position has never been invited to the White House.” But he will not shut down the museum, because it’s “not for myself…it’s for future generations. Somebody’s got to do it. Just like Mahatma Gandhi.”
Amazing! Watch this video to see the man in action.
Dick Gregory, From the Back of the Bus, book cover (1962)
Cover photo: Jerry YulsmanSource: Men’s Pulp Mags
