I Love Teachable Moments

August 19th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

Now I don’t like to Post other People’s Work, but I have to tell this story, in short. Read Whole Story.

This is Tony Petite, a 12 year old boy from New Orleans. When Katrina hit, his family was forced to move to Denver. When Tony arrived, he felt out of place because the other students were more advanced. But Tony got something he wasn’t used to. Help. The teachers spent extra time with Tony getting him caught up.

Tony’s family moved back to New Orleans. They came back to their neighborhood where houses still had spray painted markings from when Katrina Hit 3 Years Earlier. He came back to his school, to see his A’s and B’s turn to D’s and F’s; he came back to fighting instead of learning.

Now the two People standing next to him are not his parents. They are the Principals of A New Charter School for Boys in the New Orleans Area, Miller-McCoy Academy. Tiffany Hardrick and Keith Sanders both come from Memphis and were Principals. They were also members of an Organization called New Leaders for New Schools, a non profit that targets leaders to become Principals in Urban Schools.

They left Memphis just as their schools were beginning to flourish to help in New Orleans. “I remember sitting in my living room and just crying, just really feeling for the people who were involved,” Sanders said. “Now we’ve been given the opportunity to be a part of the rebirth of New Orleans. How often do you get a chance to contribute to something like this?”

I could go into the fact they re-elected Nagin when He was inefficient at handling the build up and the aftermath of Katrina. I could point out that a lot of Misplaced Targets of the Storm have found a new life in other parts of the Country. I could tell you it is a disgrace that we complained so much when we saw the Storm unfolding, Now we have moved on with our lives like it never happened, while people are still suffering.

But I won’t. Instead I will give Praise to Tiffany Hardrick and Keith Sanders. I bet if I tried, they would say for what. Because they see the big picture and know they play a part. I will Praise Tony’s mother for seeking out a better school for her Son. I will Praise Tony for accepting the help when he moved to Denver. And I will Praise the Reporter that still believes we want to hear stories of inspiration.