Gangsters

A story of Tom Pendergast: “This was back in the ’30s. These kids were freezing. They slept in their coats. They had no coal. The mom went to ask Pendergast for help, and right away a truck pulled up with a huge load of coal. Every night, ever after, before they ate dinner, this woman […]

Yer Outta Here

As with many debates in education, the whole thing begins with a problem (too many suspensions), hot button issues are thrown at it to make everyone lose their tempers (racism!), and then everyone weighs in on what should happen, even though most of them have never successfully disciplined a classroom, or worked out consequences with […]

The Sights

I drove through Leavenworth again recently. I remembered driving a friend up there. Leavenworth’s prison was one of the three things she wanted to see in Kansas. She had never been to the midwest. Grew up in Jersey, lived in New York City. She flew in for a bar mitzvah, and in her free time, […]

The Light

The first time I saw him, I asked about him. I left him alone, though. I liked the way he was sitting, neatly cross-legged, and he was wearing a robe and a softly pointed hat. I went back to the little junk shop and bought him. Eight dollars. We went home together. I thought he […]