Charlie, 2

School is beginning again. Some will head back in about two weeks, while some get an extra week or two before they head back. With that in mind, I decided that for the next couple of weeks, I’m going to dig deep into my posts on this blog because I want teachers, parents, caregivers, and kids to think about how we touch lives. Yes, touch lives. Our own kids, the kids we have in our classrooms, kids we see walking in the hallways, sitting in the cafeteria. Kids who ride the bus, play on teams, and kids who will get cut because “they aren’t good enough.”  

It saddens me to think how many kids I cut in the years I was a coach. Yes, there were some who couldn’t dribble or who couldn’t shoot. Kids who were too slow. Kids who got flustered too easily. You get the picture. I wonder what became of those kids. Did they eventually “make” a team, a group? Did they ever fall in love, get married, have kids of their own to raise?  

So, like I said, I dug back into my posts and pulled out one from March of 2013, titled Charlie. It has become one of folks’ favorite posts. Two of the comments I received on it- anonymously were:

Anonymous March 13, 2013 at 5:40 AM

Just read Charlie, tears are welling up in my eyes. I knew way too many Charles!

Anonymous March 13, 2013 at 4:56 PM

Joe, I loved the story of Jeff. My Dad was an alcoholic. Mom depressed, sometimes catatonic. Me? I walked the halls alone. 

I’m hoping this post touches your heart, and I hope it stays with you. 

Charlie is a troubled teen suffering from blackouts and carrying a secret. His middle school years were difficult at best, and his freshman year in high school gets off to a rocky start. He eats alone in the cafeteria, walks the hallways anonymously, and is in general, ignored. Finally, he’s befriended by a teacher who sees potential in him and feeds Charlie’s passion for books, literature and writing. He’s finally accepted by two seniors, Patrick and Sam, and Charlie confesses to them, “I didn’t think anyone noticed me.”

To say that Charlie is a fictional character from the movie, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, based upon a book written by Stephen Chbosky, I would be fooling myself and lying to you. Charlie is much more than that.  

I’ve been in education for 37 years and I’ve seen, watched and spoken to many Charlies over the years. While The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is a work of fiction, kids like Charlie walk the hallways of any school in any city anywhere.  

I’m thinking of a young man in particular. “Jeff” (not his real name) walks three laps each morning by himself. By that I mean, he makes a circuit from the first floor, to the second floor and back to the first each morning, every morning, always walking past me before he heads up the stairs. He’s by himself. Always. In fact, I’ve never seen him walking or talking with any other students since September, when the school year began. It took him six months to smile at me and say hello. As hard as I try to engage him in conversation, he resorts to one or two word answers. He’s pleasant enough. Dresses like the rest of the kids do. Nothing extraordinary about him other than the fact that he is alone.

And if these kids are walking hallways in a school, these same kids are sitting at your dinner tables, watching TV alongside you at night, sitting in their rooms doing homework, playing video games, texting and listening to music. They’re sleeping in their bedrooms each night only to get up each morning and do what they always do- walk the hallways of a school once again. Push play, repeat, play, repeat …

This past month, we sponsored what is called Challenge Day for our students. Students spend a day with adult volunteers and two facilitators who help kids understand they aren’t alone, unique, odd or different. They help kids come to realize that each of us- adults included — has fears, worries, challenges, good days and bad days. The stories these kids and adults share bring even the most hardened of hearts to mush. There are tears. There is laughter. Mostly, there is understanding and acceptance and tolerance. Above all, acceptance and tolerance. 

There are kids like Charlie all over. Everywhere. Some we know because we see them every day. Some we know because they cut our lawn, wash our car, serve us fast food from the drive-through. Some we know because they sit quietly, passively in our classroom, eat in our cafeteria. Some we know because they are our own children. Perhaps they are, were, us. We know firsthand what they experience because we’ve been through it before them. Perhaps we’re still going through it even now as adults. Moving through our daily job, our daily tasks silently, quietly, passively. Not wanting to be bothered. Not wanting the spotlight. Not wanting to be noticed. But wanting to be bothered. Wanting the spotlight and, most importantly, wanting to be noticed.

Push Play. Repeat. Play. Repeat. Day after day. Night after night. Week after week. Waiting for a kind word, a gentle touch, someone to notice us, to listen to us, to be with us. 

Maybe it’s time to break that cycle. Maybe it’s time to help our children, help ourselves. Something to think about … 

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference! 

For My Readers:   

*GREAT NEWS!*

My newest book, Black Yéʼii, will be $.99 for the Kindle version on Wednesday, July 23 only! Yes, only $.99.

Black Yéʼii received a 2025 Maxy Finalist Award for Thriller and Suspense. It previously won a Literary Titan Gold Book Award. It is available in Paperback and on Kindle and on Audible format will be made available in just a short time. 

You can find Black Yéʼii here:

Amazon Link: https://tinyurl.com/25w95xcn

Barnes & Noble Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-y-700-ii-joseph-lewis/1146257565?ean=9781685135379 

If you want more of the backstory to Black Yéʼii (The Evil One) check out my previous book, Caught in a Web, which is available in paperback, Kindle, and Audible. BestThrillers called it “One of the best Crime Fiction Books of 2018!” It was also a PenCraft Literary Award Winner!

You can find it here:

Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/2GrU51T

Barnes & Noble Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caught-in-a-web-joseph-lewis/1128250923?ean=9781684330249

Fan Mail won a 2023 Maxy Finalist for Action and Adventure. It previously won a 2023 Reader’s Favorite Silver Book Award. It is available in Audible format, as well as Paperback and Kindle.

You can find it here: 

Audible Link: https://audiobooksunleashed.com/product/fan-mail/ 

Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3eNgSdS

Barnes & Noble Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fan-mail-joseph-lewis/1142543281?ean=9781685131685

Of course, you can find all my books, their descriptions, and a pay link on my author website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com 

If you like what you’re reading and find a benefit from it, you can check out my other posts on my Website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com under the Inspirational Blog tab. You can find all ten books, their descriptions, and links for purchase at the same site.  

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