The Kids Are Alright

The hallways always have an extra buzz to them on the Seniors last day. You can feel it like it is frozen in mid-air, an electricity of energy. The Seniors are done with high school, and a great sense of relief has washed over them. They have crossed the finish line of primary education, the goal of many years has been achieved. And, they rightly pat themselves on the back and stand up a little straighter to accept the praise that they have earned. High school is done and the gateway towards adulthood is now....... The last day is a half day, with a picnic to be the celebratory meal of a job well done. But, the first five periods must be observed. They do this, in fast motion, because they want it done. However, I have noticed a certain look that overtakes them. A glazed look. The stunned realization that, ''MY GOD!!! I AM DONE WITH SCHOOL!!!'' It amuses me to see this. Why? Well, I think that you can rightfully call this look the first time that, physically, life is settling in on them. An adult life, full of promises and responsibilities and passions and fears and all of the human bundles of positive and negative human emotions. I can kinda of remember that same feeling. After I graduated high school in June, 1984 A.D., I got in my parents car that they lent me and drove away from the school towards the first party I was going to attend that night. In the rear view mirror, my high school, the late and undistinguished Forest View, was visible. The feeling I had at that moment I can clearly recall. I had the excitement of being done with school. And, then, I also had the fear of being done with school. I knew at that moment that I was in charge of my life then, my destiny, with no cushion and no structure. How I lived my life was completely up to me. It was both comforting and terrifying. It still is........ And, I saw it today in the passing faces of the Seniors. Bewilderment and cockiness. That is ok, for both are necessary for the first few steps from being a child. What they do not know----and, I would never dare tell them----- is that they will encounter dark roads that life throws in your pathway that will erode those looks of wonder and self-confidence. Dangerous avenues of temptation and harmful passageways that could bring their dreams and good intentions come crashing down. I would never break their moment of joy, for it will be the last time they will have the bubble of innocence surrounding them. There is no need to break the spell. They will all find reality in their own ways........ At the same time I am happy for them, I feel a personal sadness. I have known most of these kids for four years. I have seen most mature and grow. I have betted heads with them as Freshmen [when, you know, old Mr. Scoleri knows nothing and is mean] to where they are now with a fresh Seniors perspective [you know, cool Mr. Scoleri, who was right about what he was preaching and really is a softie]. I have seen them find first loves and have first heartbreaks. I have coached them to do better with their grades and applauded them when they passed that tough test that they thought they would never pass. I would tell them exactly what to say when they go on their first job interview, and I would tell them what a good work ethic is, and for them to give me free food at Portillos. And, for many, I was just a sympathetic ear for them, for many, sadly, do not have an adult at home that they can share things with and inspire the best out of them. Those are the kids that reach deep into your heart. Even when they ''act up'' and do something that they should not do, there is the little voice in my head that says, ''Go easy, Jimmy. Remember where they are coming from.'' That has been how I have always been: first the anger at the situation, then, understanding and compassion, followed by the urge to help them as best as I can. It doesn't work for all students, mind you. Still, the ratio is high towards success. Myself---and, many of my friends and colleagues at work--- try to be there for the kids, to steer them in the right direction. Most times, I think we do. But, sometimes, a kid you think you have going well does something that breaks your heart. You take it personal. You have to. Because you care.......... Those kids remain with you as the four years progress. The bond grows stronger. Every adult I work with has a favorite student. The one that you watch out for. I have many. I have kids who may not have me in class anymore who stop in during their lunch, or, between passing periods, just to say hello and to tell me about what is going on in their lives. Many invite me to come watch them play in the team sport they belong to. And, in the sweetest example of making a mark with them, come Christmas time or Staff Appreciation Week, I may get a small gift or card expressing how they feel about me. Those are the moments when you do tear up....... I write this not to show what a swell guy I am, but, to show you how they are. Lost among the confusion of being a teenager is the enormous pressure society puts on them. Teenagers today have it much rougher than at any other time in history. Look at the world----and, the world's expectations on them----- that they have to endure. Everything from terrorism to enormous debts to two childish people running for President Of The United States in 2016. As they graduate, this will hit them with a sonic blast that I could not imagine. And, yet, through this pressure, through the self-centeredness that is the bane of any teenager, comes a thoughtful act of generosity and goodwill out of nowhere. It may just be a Christmas card to them. But, to me, it gives me a warm hope for the future....... After 5th period, it is all over but the hugging. This is allowed because they are no longer students, but co-equals as adults. A goodbye hug, full of gratitude and best wishes for their future. And, more tears---both from them and from us. I tell them to come see me in the future. A few will. Most, will not. While I might have been a recognizable figure to them these last few years, I know I will fade away in their memories as the years roll on. It is natural. There is a little sadness in knowing this. They hug and I say good luck to them. And, I give the line that makes my throat tighten up: ''Have a great life''......... I want them to have that ''great life''. I want them to have all of their dreams come true. I want them to fall in love with that special person. I want them to do good work and be proud of the achievements they make as life goes on around them. I want them to have the fun times. I want them to learn from the sad times. I want them to solve the problems that the generations before them have given them. And, I want them to be nicer to each other than we have been to our fellow human beings in our time, to find that loving human spirit to forge a better future for their kids. I want them to solve the problems of hate and division and be as One. It is a tall assignment I am giving them, I know. But, who is to say that they won't be ''The Greatest Generation?''......... I'm rooting for the Class Of 2016. They should be proud of what they have done. I am proud of them. You will be, too. Just give them time to grow into their roles, to let life measure them........ Looking at the calendar, I see there is about 3 months until the Class of 2020 arrives at the school. I look forward to meeting them.......

Great Movie : ''Being There''

Chance is just a gardener. He is nothing more........ We meet him early one morning as he rises. The first thing that he does is turn on his television. This is one of two important daily acts he must do. As he does his morning stretches----while various TV shows and commercials play across the screen---- we focus in on his appearance. He is middle-aged, portly, gray hair [what there is of it] and very non-threatening to handsome men everywhere. He changes from his pajamas to a suit, an old suit. A very old suit. The kind that went out of style decades ago, from another lifetime. This is the year of 1979, but, Chance dresses like it is 1929. His pants do not reach his shoes, in a classic example of a unaware dresser waiting for a flood to come. But, in his own way, Chance looks kinda nifty in his clothes........ After he has dressed, Chance goes out to his beloved garden. He cares for his garden like a mother cares for her child. Dainty hands work its magic, a master doctor performing his daily procedure among his patients. It is Winter, though, so not much is growing in the garden. It hardly matters to Chance, for he is a creature of habit. Every morning he tends to his garden, come rain or come shine......... On this morning that we, the audience meet him, there is a death in Chance's house. The Old Man, who has taken care of Chance his whole life, is gone. Chance is told this by Louise, the faithful made. She tells him this gingerly, cautious in his reaction. Chance has no reaction. He is busy watching television. The Old Man dying does not register with Chance. And, at this moment in the brilliant movie, ''Being There'', we realize that Chance the Gardener is a simpleton......... These are the first few minutes of the movie. The next several involve Chance the Gardener being told, since The Old Man is dead, that he must vacate the house he has lived in his entire life. The Old Man, we find out, sheltered Chance his whole life, never once letting him out into the world. Chance has never even ridden in a car. All Chance knows about is watching TV and tending his beloved garden. He has no family, no friends, no one else in the world. He cannot do the simplest of tasks. He is helpless. Even Louise, the loyal maid to The Old Man, cannot help him. Come the morning after The Old Man dies, Chance is thrown out of his house, an orphan about to find his way in a world he cannot comprehend........ He stands on the front stoop of the building he has lived in. The camera pans around and we notice the area is very poor, a ghetto of torn down buildings and garbage thrown everywhere. Chance starts walking. He is carrying his suitcase, which hold his meager belongings----basically, more old clothes. He has a hat on and in his left hand, he has a cane. Somewhere, in his TV viewing, Chance must have seen that this is the way people in the world dress. As he walks, timidly, down the street, Chance encounters various people in the neighborhood, mostly black. He stumbles on to a street gang and they immediately threaten him physical harm. When one member pulls out a knife, Chance reaches into his pocket and pulls out his weapon: a TV remote control. What better weapon to use!!! As any TV viewer knows, if you don't like a program, he click away from it and find something else to watch. But, as Chance discovers, he cannot click away this tense situation. He nearly escapes harm..........He wanders these streets of Washington, D.C. He is lost, a sheep lost in the dangerous world of wolves. He is hungry. He asks for food from strangers on the street. He is denied help of any kind from those strangers. Finally, by accident, a car is backed up and slightly crushes his leg. The car is driven by a chauffeur of a very powerful woman. The woman, named Eve, is very concerned about Chance. Instead of taking him to a hospital, she asks Chance if she can take him to her home for her personal family doctor to look at him. He husband is elderly and very sick, so a home hospice has been set up for his comfort. Chance goes along with the suggestion. But, first he must ride in a car........... Inside the car, Chance is bewildered by his surroundings. He remarks to Eve that this looks ''just like television''. She offers him a drink. He accepts, not realizing that she is procuring alcohol to him. As he takes a sip and swallows, Eve asks him what his name is. Chance starts coughing on the booze and says,''Chance'' [another cough] ''Gardener''. Eve mistakes the name and thinks he said ''Chauncey Gardner''.......... And, I will stop here. Because the real fun and brilliance of the movie lifts off at this moment.......... ''Being There'' was a 1970 novella written by Jerzy Kosinski, who always penned the screenplay in 1979. Kosinski was born in Poland, survived the Holocaust, and came to America in his early manhood. I like authors and filmmakers who were not born here because they always have a fresh perspective of this country that us native-born citizens do not possess. It is the look of the Outsider, the innocent looking at America through fresh eyes. Kosinski brings that feeling to the Chance character. The book and the movie comment on modern -day America and our society. It is a wicked satire and commentary on the media, the gullible, and the willingness to belief whatever we want to believe, just as long as it fits into a preconceived mindset. Make no mistake, this is a sharp comedy, filled with unbelievable moments that slowly become believable. To give away any secrets to the plot would be cheating those who have never seen. Or, those who cannot remember its charms. I will not give away spoilers. But, I will suggest its joys...... First and foremost, it contains the finest film performance by the late, great Peter Sellers. He plays Chance. And, he does it with such deft comic timing and physical finesse, that he hardly seems to be acting here. His performance is flawless, a master actor reaching his zenith. Sellers had played many roles throughout his long and brilliant career but they were just a warm-up to his Chance. He wrings humanity from his one-note character. He is funny but we do not laugh at Chance. We laugh at what he does in relation to the fools around him. Chance is the sanest and wisest person in the movie but no one knows that but the audience. His adventures with everyday people make the audience smile because here is a good-hearted, sweet man who means no harm. And, he spreads his sweetness to those he encounters. Many years later, Forrest Gump would take the story on his own terms and become a weaker version of  the Chance character. The simpleton roaming among the crazies. Peter Sellers brings an art form to his acting here. I know people who do not like him, and, even they concede he is wonderful in this role. Partly hilarious, partly poignant, Sellers brings the right amount of hilarity and pathos---a very tricky achievement. He would be nominated for Best Actor for his performance but would lose to Dustin Hoffman in ''Kramer Vs. Kramer'', a huge mistake on the Academy's part. Peter Sellers would make one more movie before his death in 1980, a scant year after his triumph as Chance......... The supporting cast also shine. Such stalwarts as Shirley Maclaine, Jack Warden, Melvyn Douglas, and the wonderful character actor Richard Dysart, fill the screen with the richness of their acting. They each ride shot-gun to Peter Sellers, bouncing off him with hilarious results. And, the fine direction by Hal Ashby perfectly captures the story. His direction is simple, per the story he tells. No flashes, no pyrotechnics. Just quiet moments of humor and human understanding And, its majestic last scene, the subject of much debate and analysis.......''Being There'' has many joys to discover. I urge you to view it. If you want jokes that involve crotch-kicking or bodily-fluids or human indignities, then, stay away from this film. It doesn't go there. Where it does go is into a slight opening into the human window. We view a person like Chance the Gardener and his behavior balanced against the behavior of the rest of humanity........ And, believe me, the rest of us look much less innocent.......