TROY: THE MEANING OF A SINGLE MOMENT

TO DO.

PRELUDE needs more work

Greta Pruitt was a most extraordinary principal but I didn't know that when I landed at the Pasadena Alternative School. She deserves a chapter all by herself, but here, it will suffice to say that she was magic with all of us at PAS, staff and students alike. She had taken Troy under her wing even though he was a troubled student. Ask Greta to tell us more.

She recently informed me that Troy had passed away but my memories of Troy remain indelible. In spite of his disability (early childhood polio), Troy Tolley signed up for my 7 day Baja California Expedition. He was not going to be held back during the trekking portion of the trip even though walking was difficult for him. Troy also carried the considerable weight of heavy armor that must have come from years of being picked on.  He was quick tempered, stubborn, and prone to outbursts, rendering me reluctant to take him on such a long journey. Instead of rejecting his participation, I said his behavior on our three “shake down” trips would determine his place on the expedition. Shakedown trips were day long hikes, the last one overnight, where trip staff could gather data on how kids might fare under more exhausting trip expedition conditions.

Troy passed the shakedown rigors but showed that he required extra supervision to stay out of trouble.  He agreed to travel with me so I could keep an eye on him.

Soon we crossed the border into Mexico, headed for La Bufadora, a geologic feature in Baja California a few miles south of Ensenada. It was the first day of our Baja Backpacking Trek. 

As is common on long drives with kids, they were engaged in "I spy".  Along the route, students in my van spied a ranch and a sign: "Horse Rides".

Horseback Riding

A surprising and mystifying swell of enthusiasm erupted from Troy as he spied the horses. It was  and the and now I know why.  Troy had spent alot of time with his school principal, Greta Pruitt, at her La Cañada ranch above Pasadena. There, Greta taught him how to ride and care for one of her horses. She recognized in Troy that her ranch and a stubborn horse would be a good match for Troy.

THE MEANING OF A SINGLE MOMENT

The formative years. Pre-adolescence, Teenagers, The school years. Coming of age.. The time when we are most impressionable. These are the moments when teachers have the opportunity to light the fire in the minds of students sitting in classrooms around the world. This is what I chose to do with my life, And this is the "journal" of that journey.

It was 1972 when Harry Chapin picked up the entertainment section of the New York Times and read a performance review. Inspired he wrote the first draft of one of his hit songs, Mr. Tanner. It was a story of broken dreams. It was 1973 and I was in the formative period of my teaching career. Along with Abraham Maslow, Martin Tubridy (Mr. Tanner), Dr. Barbara Clark, Chucky and Frankie Thomas  and many other students became the underlying foundation of my unplanned but most meaningful career in teaching. And this is thier story

The critics, the scouts:  

"Scouts saw what The New York Times later described as "a smart passer with a flawed jump shot and a thin frame, who might not have the strength and athleticism to defend, create his own shot or finish at the rim in the N.B.A."  

"How many moments in my own life did I pass up the ball or hold myself small?

How many times did I turn in that assignment, or not audition for that thing or not put my name as number one on the sheet? How many times did I not wave someone off? That's what that moment meant to me.--- Hasan Minhaj For context, watch 38 At The Garden. Click HERE, or below.

38 At the Garden about Linsanity, Linpossible, the inspiring Jeremy Lin.

Even when I'm on stage and look into the eyes of my audience, I see so many broken dreams."

"Wait a second, I don't have to work at Deloitte? ...it's this moment, it broke the matrix for us ."

--quoted from same as above

"Ït represents possibility and an expansive world view at the highest possible level.  The biggest thing Linsanity brought was hope, it inspired people. And it showed that when you chase your dreams, good things can happen." --Jeremy Lin   I want the next generation to grow up being ... proud of your culture, your upbringing, your parents, your appearance, your talents, your personality. I want them to be proud to be themselves. To be equal and have a fair chance to be their fullest self. To not have to deal with the everything that the previous generations had to deal with.."

He is a most visceral example of getting to be a part of a world that had never really had space for you before.  == asian journalist

It was a heroic moment. It was a moment so many people had not experienced but wanted to experience. Hollywood, the world, like we didn't have these heroic moments... It was always boxed into the ... stereotype.

As a teacher, I dreamed for my students that number would be small, and by the time they left my class, the number of times they held themselves small in the future, would be zero.  

ABOUT TROY

So we stopped to stretch our legs. Troy became an undeniable salesman persuading me that because he had years of experience on horses, it would be safe to allow him to go horseback riding.  He was the only experienced rider.

While a ranch hand went to get a saddle, Troy leaped onto the horses back. They were off in a sprint.  My god, I’ve never seen a more splendid vision. I was taken a breath. Troy had become god-like riding bareback on a swift stallion. It was a remarkable transformation from a wobbling limp to a swift horse mounted warrior. I remember that ride in slow motion, Troy like a king racing to the horizon. His peers were astonished, they’d never seen this magnificent, shining image of Troy, 

I thought of Troy when I was in Japan recently.  Slide the video scrubber to 1:03. You will see how I remember Troy Tolley. It’s been 45 years but I can still feel that moment in time with Troy.

Include more:

1. my life passing before my eyes skydiving vision, 

2. silent heart attack

3. the death of my son, 

4. sitting through last breaths of a dying colleague

5.  Community service student deals with the death of his new friend in a nursing home.  

6. Stopped a kid sitting on the window sill, second floor contemplating suicide at Pasadena Alternative School.

7. I’m called out of my classroom to stop a suicide.

On another note:

For the Flip edition of the book: Expedition Institute,

Right side up, the student edition of the Field Guide.

Upside down and from the back, the teacher’s edition