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It was nice to see the recognition that Salis- bury Continuation High received upon its fi ieth anniversary. Sometimes we forget that kids can be turned around and given the support they need for second chances. Manystudentshavehadlife changing experiences at Salis- bury, and the dedication of its staff has made that difference in those students' lives. I had the plea- sure of work- ing with Salis- bury when it was on the Red Bluff High campus and on Park Street. I remember the "look me in the eye" approach of the staff as they confronted kids and told them in no uncer- tain terms that they could take control of their futures. The also provided support for those stu- dents' efforts, not leaving them with wide eyed stares wonder- ing what to do next. Those ef- forts continue today. Young people are malleable. I remember one story that clearly demonstrates this. A beginning teacher called the principal and told him "I'm sending "Don" to the office; I don't know what to do; he has been writing on his privates." Don was a first grade student placed in a bilingual classroom, most likely because of his sur- name and appearance. He was not Hispanic, however. When he arrived at the principal's of- fice it was clear there were some issues. His large dark eyes were set upon dark half cir- cles, which made them look al- most puppy like or a character from a Margaret Keane paint- ing. He was the youngest of four children living with his mother; none had the same last name. His oldest sister was fifteen at the time, and she had a new- born, which she said her mother was raising for her. Don's other siblings had not fared well in school. None had completed high school, none had an appar- ent spark of ambition or the evi- dent desire to learn. Don had come to school in a pair of shorts which had a mal- functioning fly, and he had no underpants. When questioned about why he wrote on him- self, he essentially said he was bored, and it was something he could do. To Don the classroom routine was boring. He was bright but he had learned at home to keep in the background and not com- pete for attention from his older siblings or his baby nephew. To his mother, at least until the first grandchild came, he was the promised good child after three disappointing earlier chil- dren. Don could do no wrong, and he was never pushed to do anything he had an aversion to, nor was he ever punished. When his mother was con- tacted she seemed uninter- ested in the way she sent him to school; it sounded like he had taken responsibility for getting dressed and making it to the bus stop. She was a little upset that the school was bothering her, and did not seem embar- rassed by Don's clothing choice or activity, and she was reluc- tantly willing to come to school with a change of clothing; it took her a long time to make the short trip. Don's efforts did not improve over the years, but it was clear he was bright. A few years later, when Don was in sixth grade he remarked that the principal was "just being facetious with you?" Not many sixth graders have used that particular term." I've told this story to several people over the years as an il- lustration of the nature of pub- lic education. Several points can be made. Things are more complicated than they seem, and simple so- lutions are not all that simple; that is why we have schools like Salisbury. In this case it would seem that the child might just need a quick "don't do that" and then get back to class. However, upon even a cursory examina- tion, it became obvious he was in no condition to even be in school, he had not consciously done something bad, and he was not the problem. His family background, his mother's lack of interest, his misplacement (or at least placement for the wrong reasons) in the bilingual class, and his need for a change of clothes reflect the interplay of variables which need to be con- sidered when meeting Don's ed- ucational needs. We often are accused of using these variables as excuses for the poor perfor- mance in schools serving the underprivileged, but these vari- ables are not excuses, they are reality, and successful schools learn to work with them. Don was never a discipline problem; he was just not fo- cused. While you can get the learner's attention with tricks, or use the proverbial "2x4 upside the head", only the learner can focus for him or herself. In the factory model for schools, which we use, Don does not fit in. While schools can and do perform miracles with children, school is only a fraction of each child's day. The time spent with family, friends, television, com- puter games, and in neglect are a significant influence. In abso- lute numbers, for example, the state of California requires a minimum of 175 days of school at 280 minutes per day for in- structional time. Multiplied out this equals about 816 hours per year, a significant amount of time, but often not enough to work miracles. In one year there are 8760 hours! Whenever we are dealing with parents, school, and kids things get complicated. One size does not fit all, and Don's time- line for development and matu- rity was not the same as anyone else's. Don was a good person tossed about by the situation in his life. After time at Salisbury he would eventually turn out to be a contributing member of society, but not by following our schedule for him. It's that way for many students in public school; measuring their prog- ress towards effective adult- hood with standardized tests at prescribed intervals only mea- sures one aspect of their prog- ress, and perhaps not the most important one at that. Happy 50th, Salisbury. JoeHarropisaretired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. JoeHarrop Fi y years of Salisbury success stories Cartoonist's take Trainingkeptdangerous situation under control Editor: I wanted to congratulate all involved with the arrest of Cesar Macedo on Monday, April 25. What a great job of being able to settle a dangerous situa- tion without shooting anybody. Even the dog who attacked was only injured not killed. This shows good training and restraint from all. Thank you. — Richard Bruce, Red Bluff Town hall meetings a sign of representation Editor: I have had the opportunity to attend a number of Town Hall Meetings sponsored by County Supervisor Candy Carlson. They have been very informative in that there is a two way conver- sation between Carlson and the attendees. This ease of accessibility to elected officials is what our country is all about, and is per- sonified by Carlson's willingness to listen to all opinions and sup- ply reasons for her decisions. Carlson's open to anyone Town Hall Meetings is the mark of an elected official truly inter- ested in serving the best inter- ests of the public. Candy Carl- son deserves to be re-elected. — John Elshere, Red Bluff What's the real reason? Editor: It is with great sorrow that I am writing this e-mail. It is my understanding that Kathy Brandt may not get the oppor- tunity to continue her girls' bas- ketball program at the high school. I believe, whole-heart- edly, this would be a huge mis- take for the program, and dev- astating to all young female athletes in the community. I have personally known Kathy for over 20 years. If you have ever had the experience of knowing Kathy, you will imme- diately realize she is passionate about everything she does. Many people interpret this passion as extreme competitiveness — lit- tle do they know, she is only try- ing to be the best in all that she does, and expects the same from others. Kathy's passion is what motivates many young ladies to be the best they can be. I must admit, I don't always agree with Kathy. We have re- spectfully had our differences throughout life. However, as a parent of a student athlete, I have never agreed 100 percent with any coach. I believe this is the case with all parents of student athletes. That being said, when there are differences of opinion, one must look at past history to clarify the true motives. I did a little research, and here are Kathy's statistics: She has coached at Red Bluff High for seven years. She has personally organized an AAU league for the last six years, with over 120 kids partic- ipating from Red Bluff, Los Mo- linos, Vina, Cottonwood and Corning. She has raised over $20,000 for the girls' basketball program. She has actively participated in the Cornerstone Basketball League for 10 years. She has personally employed over 42 student athletes at her business, Julia's Fruit Stand. And if you believe in the power of social media, Kathy started and currently admin- isters a Lady Spartans page, which has 353 followers. Based on the above statistics, I believe it is undeniable that Kathy has the best intentions for the players and the program. I personally am unaware of any coach doing all that she does. She is truly helping these kids be- come responsible young adults. The dedication, time and effort she has consistently put forth for the betterment of the kids is re- markable. As a parent of student athletes, I welcome this type of coach for my children — yet it is so difficult to find. There are many questions that come to mind when con- fronting this unfortunate turn of events for Kathy. Are all the athletic programs being scrutinized equally? Has administration commu- nicated to Kathy, prior to this employment release, how they would like her to adjust the girls program? If Kathy isn't the ideal coach based on the above statistics, then who is? Have the past players been interviewed to confirm or deny Kathy's qualifications and ac- complishments in question? Don't we want coaches like Kathy to be a positive and pow- erful role model for our girls? Hasn't Kathy earned the op- portunity to modify her pro- gram to the likes of the admin- istration? In conclusion, I would hope all would consider Kathy's strong past history — not in terms of win and losses, but in outstanding past players. She has positively touched so many young girls' lives, it's a shame not to give her the opportunity to adjust the girls' basketball program accordingly. — CJ Bartolomei, Red Bluff Letters to the editor While schools can and do perform miracles with children, school is only a fraction of each child's day. The time spent with family, friends, television, computer games, and in neglect are a significant influence. GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIAL BOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@ redbluffdailynews.com Fax: 530-527-9251 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS Joe Harrop As evidenced by his hair, Don- ald J. Trump is pretty much wrong all the time. Every time. About everything. Except when he isn't. One exam- ple is, should he become president, Mexico indeed will build a wall — to control our im- migration. "Get me the hell out of here. Por favor?" Hell, Canada might have to build one as well. "Hey, let me in dere, ya hoser. S'il vous plait, eh?" Trump is also right about America becoming more reli- gious under his reign, because upon his election, people are go- ing to start praying, "like you wouldn't believe." All over the world. The seismic shock caused by millions dropping to their knees on January 21st might crack open a chasm in the planet deep enough to swallow a few of the Seven Seas. After being aced out by Ted Cruz for all the Colorado and Wy- oming delegates, Trump flailed like a boat- bound goose trying to fly south with its feet nailed to the deck, screaming all the while about the system being rigged. You know what? He's right about that one, too. It's finally sinking in — this isn't about democracy. This is much more important: this is party politics. In an effort to keep their voices preeminent, the big- wigs have rigged and rerigged the system like a 30-year-old trailer park sound system. On the other side of the aisle, Bernie Sanders is hearing simi- lar ugly distortions. He's finding the Dems have rules more shady, murky and malleable than a cat- fish trap in the Mississippi Delta made out of cellophane. Perhaps this helps to explain why the Ver- mont senator eschewed becom- ing a Democrat until recently. The Donald also occasion- ally stumbles into the lobby of the Correctomundo Hotel by embracing such a variety of stances that it wouldn't be sur- prising to find Trump Univer- sity offers a course that teaches the Art of the Blind Squirrel/ Nut Finding Deal. First he supported an assault weapons ban and background checks, then turned against them. He told Larry King he was a fan of universal health care, and now, not so much. The man has adopted more posi- tions than a ballet dancer on a cruise ship, sometimes during the same interview. He calls his 180-degree head snapping turns "evolving." Ever since Ronald Reagan character- ized his conversion from Holly- wood liberal as an "evolution," that's the go-to, buzz-word for po- liticos. People don't change their minds anymore. They evolve. Over time. Even people who don't believe in evolution, evolve. Since 1999 Trump has gone from Republican to Indepen- dent to Democrat to Indepen- dent to Republican again. He's the centrifugal candidate. Started out pro-choice, became anti-choice and now seems to be multiple-choice. And why do his supporters love him? Be- cause he tells it like it is. No matter what side of an is- sue you're on, Trump has been there, done that. Less of a Man for all Seasons than a Man for all Reasons. A businessman too comfortable with the lesions of treasons. Whoa. Too much? And now Paul Manafort, the shiny new senior advisor, told GOP insiders Trump is simply playing a role and will tone it down for the general election. Trump must be praying that we the voters will totally forget to play our roles of people who can't stand him. Will Durst is an award- winning, nationally acclaimed columnist, comedian and former Pizza Hut assistant manager. For sample videos and a calendar of personal appearances including his new one-man show, Elect to Laugh: 2016, appearing every Tuesday at the San Francisco Marsh, go to willdurst.com. Will Durst Turns out that Donald Trump is right a lot Will Durst OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, April 30, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4