A few weeks ago I wrote a book report describing what I learned from Paul Tough’s wonderful book Whatever It Takes. Today, as I continue preparations for the first Straight-A Guide class that I will teach next week, I am reviewing my notes from Mr. Tough’s book. He wrote about the remarkable steps Geoffrey Canada [...]
While running this morning, I contemplated a challenge I would have to overcome in the months ahead. It concerns my efforts to introduce the Straight-A Guide program to people who are serving sentences in other federal prisons. I am passionate about a responsibility I have to persuade other prisoners to work toward law-abiding, meaningful lives [...]
My young friend David Muniz received a load of college books yesterday. It pleases me to see the commitment that he is making to educate himself while we serve our sentences together at Taft camp. He uses the profile he is building on the Straight-A Guide website to document progress toward goals he sets, but [...]
I was surprised to receive an envelope from The Crown Publishing Group today. The envelope was large, containing something heavy. Since I do not have a relationship with The Crown Publishing Group, I was eager to see what they’d sent. It was a letter from a vice president and executive editor along with an advance [...]
It’s easy for a man to say he’s going to change his life in positive ways upon imprisonment. Really changing, though, is something else. Positive change does not happen by accident. It is a personal choice that requires the right attitude, commitment, and discipline. Anicasio Muñoz (who goes by Nick), didn’t begin his term with the intention of changing [...]
Amanda Ripley published an informative article in the 19 April issue of Time Magazine describing a controversial experiment of offering children cash incentives for high performance in school. Many educators objected to the cash awards because they felt strongly that children should study for the love of learning, not for the promise of a cash [...]
I’m trying to convince David, my roommate at Taft Camp, to continue his education. A few months ago I wrote a blog describing David’s graduation from the GED program. Since then I’ve urged him to continue with studies at Taft College, but he’s losing interest. Like many prisoners, David’s being seduced with the “easy money” [...]
Yesterday I received a new pair or running shoes. I ordered the shoes last month, and I’ve been waiting patiently for the commissary here at Taft Camp to deliver them. In the higher-security prisons where I was held before 2003, the commissary kept shoes in stock. Here in the camp, we preorder from an institutional [...]
I’m grateful to have received a loving letter from my mother in today’s mail. These 22 years that I’ve served have been difficult on her, and I’m sensitive to her pain, to her feeling of separation from me, her only son. I’ve spent my entire sentence in various federal prisons, all of which were more [...]
I read an article in this week’s issue of Time magazine that described the important role community colleges play in helping people develop marketable skills. Here in Taft prison, the Taft Community College offers courses that can play a huge role in helping offenders emerge successfully. Unfortunately, few take advantage of the magnificent educational opportunity. In [...]
