Don was an older
math teacher at a barrio school in Southern California where I was a counselor.
A reserved kind of guy, he kept to himself, though he was cordial and got along
well with his department and others.
As a counselor,
I had lunch supervision duty and Don’s class was in my assigned area of the
campus. Any given day, I noticed a steady stream of kids going into and out of
his classroom all during lunch. At first, I thought kids had just gathered
there, but I was wrong.
I asked Don what
was happening and he explained that he didn’t allow his students to fail. No
one! Each student could retake a test as many times as they wanted . . . until
the student achieved a passing grade. I asked him why and his answer surprised
me. Don asked me, “What does an F tell me? Nothing!”
Don had a
reputation of high expectations and big demands. Counselors in that district also
handled discipline referrals and honestly, I don’t remember ever receiving one
from Don. I checked with the principal, who I consider my mentor and friend to
this day, and Bill stated that Don was one of the best teachers he had ever
worked with. He invited me to do an observation with him, so one day, I joined
him.
Kids were busy!
Kids taught other kids! There were groups. Don never sat down unless he was
with a group going over problems. He moved from one to another and in the 45
minutes (a seven period day) we were there, kids were on task and engaged.
The kids? I
recognized kids from three active gangs who were on campus and all of them were
rivals. They worked with one another. They taught each other and learned from each
other. Don’s philosophy was simple, “Leave the gang crap at the door. We’re
here to learn math and that’s what you’ll do.”
The kids in Don’s
class didn’t fail. Not one. Each kid progressed to the next level and beyond,
and many came back to Don for help or tutoring. Some, just to visit. Don
welcomed them all.
I saw an
interesting interview with author J.K. Rowling, who spoke about her life and
about failure. You can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/globalinformer/videos/vb.201900393159314/1438123899536951/?type=2&theater
There were
several comments that stuck out and I’ll do my best to paraphrase: “Rock bottom
became the foundation.” “I was rejected, but I never quit.” “Some might say I
was a failure.”
J.K. Rowling a
failure? Seriously?
In actuality,
what author hasn’t been rejected? What manuscript hasn’t been rejected a time
or two? William Golding and “Lord Of The Flies” was rejected 20
times. John le Carré’s “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” was
passed on because le Carré “hasn’t got any future.” “Gone with the
Wind” by Margaret Mitchell was rejected 38 times
before it was published. Anne Frank’s
“The Diary of a Young Girl” was
rejected 15 times before it was published. “Carrie” by Stephen
King was rejected 30 times before it was published. “Animal Farm” by George
Orwell was rejected because “there is no market for animal stories in the
USA.” And of course, J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”
was rejected 12 times and she was told “not to quit her day job.” There are
many others.
These authors,
like our math teacher, Don, have one thing in common: they never gave up. They
didn’t quit on themselves and in Don’s case, he didn’t quit on his kids and he
didn’t allow them to quit on themselves.
So I ask you
this question, and I think it’s an important one . . . At What Point Failure? And
before you answer, I give you a word of caution . . . by quitting now you will
never know how close you are to success! I guess there can be failure at some
point. Failure might be when we quit. Something to think about . . .
To My Readers:
I just finished
my fifth work of thriller/mystery fiction, Caught
In A Web and it’s currently being edited. I’ll keep you posted as to when
it will be published.
Please feel free
to connect with me at:
Twitter
at @jrlewisauthor
Facebook
at: https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author
If you like Thriller/Mystery fiction, check out my
novels:
Available on Amazon for .99 the Lives Trilogy
Prequel, Taking Lives:
FBI Agent Pete
Kelliher and his partner search for the clues behind the bodies of six boys
left in various and remote parts of the country. Even though they don’t know
one another, the lives of FBI Agent Kelliher and two boys become interwoven
with the same thread that Pete Kelliher holds in his hand. The three of them
are on a collision course and when that happens, their lives are in jeopardy as
each search for a way out. http://bit.ly/Taking-Lives-JLewis
Stolen Lives, Book One of the Lives Trilogy:
Two thirteen
year old boys are abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of
FBI agents have 24 hours to find them or they’ll end up like all the others-
dead! They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. And the possibility
exists that one of his team members might be involved. http://bit.ly/Stolen-Lives-JLewis
Shattered Lives, Book Two of the Lives Trilogy:
Six men escaped
and are out for revenge. The boys, recently freed from captivity, are in danger
and so are their families, but they don’t know it. The FBI has no clues, no
leads, and nothing to go on and because of that, cannot protect them. http://bit.ly/Shattered-Lives-J-Lewis
Splintered Lives, Book Three of the Lives Trilogy:
It began in
Arizona with death and it ends in Arizona in death. A 14 year old boy has a
price on his head, but he and his family don’t know it. Their family vacation
turns into a trip to hell. Out gunned and outnumbered, can this boy protect his
father and brothers? Without knowing who these men are? Or how many there are?
Or when they might come for him? http://bit.ly/Splintered-Lives-J-Lewis
