CHAPTER 28 -THE FALL
This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. ― George Bernard Shaw
When Fall rolled around, my entire family made the 3-hour drive up the coast to begin the school year.
I snuck my last cigarette behind the barn and jumped in the station wagon. I yearned to be lifted from the drift of small-town provincialism into the glamorous unpredictability of Hyde.
I have a photo of a school meeting on one of the first days back -Mom, Dad, Andria, and me listening intently.
Three hundred kids and their parents made the student union hum. Joe Gauld seemed more composed around the parents. The long pieces of hair that lifted themselves from their camouflaging job to fly above Joe's head like exclamation marks when he rampaged now lay still.
He used the whole stage, pausing at times to gaze outside. His chiseled features gave him gravitas. To me, he had the kind of far-seeing nobility reminiscent of certain Native American visionaries.
It pissed Joe off that American education was killing kids' spirits. He saw the travesty of mediocrity that Pavel and I had distinguished. We didn't think we'd ever find an adult who was on our side about that.
"Measuring children with one standard --the A, the 4.0, and 1600 SATs --stifles their growth! Kids are endowed with unique potential." He paused and let that sink in.
"The system today isn't concerned with character. It views children as mini-adults, emphasizing intellect, an adult's strong point, but a kid's weakest."
I looked at my father. He was rapt.
