April 15, 2011
We were recently in a cab in New York, after speaking at the New York State Reading Association Conference, and while it wasn't Cash Cab, the ride had a more profound impact on us than winning 500 dollars for answering trivia questions ever could.
Our driver was Allen, a former marine and retired police officer, whose love for his late wife and passion for life cause him to spontaneously erupt in words of poetry that call to mind the cadence of Ralph Waldo Emerson's lines.
Allen works as a part-time cab driver because he likes to meet people; people who can be woven into his greatest passion, writing stories. He eagerly showed us a journal he carries everywhere. Inside we saw a treasure trove of observations, thoughts, ideas, settings, and potential characters (who remain anonymous thanks to name changes, but if two quirky sisters ever show up in one of his novels...we'll know it was us). Allen shared that he has boxes of filled journals at home and a sharpened pencil always at the ready in his visor and coat pocket.
The most extraordinary thing about this passionate writer was the fact that he was a 'non-writer' for over 50 years. Want to know why? It was a teacher.
Early on Allen loved words and loved to write. One day his fifth grade teacher selected six of the student's latest fiction stories to share. She didn't read the names aloud, but looks of pride didn't conceal the authors of the first five stories, which were lauded as "shining examples of excellent work." The sixth sample was heralded to be a "non-example" of a good story, and while it was also shared anonymously, Allen knew his look of horror betrayed him to the rest of the group as the author being scorned. His shame was intense. So intense in fact, that he didn't write another poem, story, report, etc. unless it was mandated. The sense of being a hopeless writing failure lasted for over 50 years. Thoughts of the teacher once beloved bring nothing but still raw pain.
Currently, nationally, education has its lens zoomed in on data and high stakes test scores. Yet we must never lose sight of the humanity we serve. We must never forget that humans are fragile. We must not let the pressures of the day or the scorn of the media deplete our graciousness and kindness. And we must always remember that how we do what we do can have profound and lasting effects.
Now a self-published novelist, Allen can't help but be glad he finally let the writer out again. We will forever be grateful for the serendipitous meeting and the powerful reminder to handle our children with care.