Educational Excellence

Happy Friday, Folks!

And of course, like it ain’t no thing … but … T.G.I.F. already! I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who read these pieces, either through the e-mail family of Educational Excellence, or through social networks (Facebook, WordPress, etcetera). It is an honor and a true joy to share some of my thoughts with you. I have had some ask me what am I doing, or … who do you think you are? Yet, there are others, and more of this group … way more, who send replies and simple acknowledgements indicating an appreciation for my writings. I still hope to take EE further, if you will, and I may need some help when it comes to fund raising and getting this next book published. So, thanks for now … your past support … as well as your future encouragement, support and ideas.

So much going on … NFL Player for the Boston Patriots fired after being charged with murder of a Boston man last week. Landmark cases in the Supreme Court as well as local courts. Florida man home from China after his employees held him hostage for “severence pay”. Paula Deen seeks to redeem her image while all around her “the walls are tumbling down”. It’s a hard thing apparently when one gets accustomed to wealth and notoriety on her level with cruises and cooking shows as well as her own line of cookware to handle the crumbling of an empire which started in a small country kitchen 30 years ago! How about Rachel Jeantel and her appearance in the George Zimmerman trial where he is being charged with second degree murder?! Can people really change? Even our society here in the states  has so many people scarred for life with criminal backgrounds, and more prisons are being built as I write.  This makes it hard for one to see society actually wanting “criminals” to change.

Well, hats off to an African American of Haitian descent who is actually a teen-ager in her last year of high school, it seems, who handled the grueling cross examination of the defense team of Zimmerman in an angry Mr. West aka “Knock Knock”! Many of us simply looked at her as a witness, one we expected to know the protocol and decorum of an American courtroom though she comes to us straight out of high school in one of South Florida’s “hoods”, so to speak. Her insistence on the fact that she was telling the truth regarding her final conversation with Trayvon Martin last year as well has her respect for Trayvon’s mother, to whom she withheld certain details like “creepy ass cracker” and “that niggas following me”, is commendable. How many of us have 19 year olds that we would let get “deeply involved” in such a case, television interviews and a court appearance in a murder trial? How many of us could have handled such a role when we were nineteen or if we aren’t quite there yet?! Is it one of your life dreams? Her first day of testimony, I believe, she didn’t quite understand the gravity of her consistency in stating the facts as she heard it in spite of the relentless attempts by defense attorney West to break her down and confuse her in order to destroy her credibility!

On the second day, Thursday, of her testimony, she came in like a “flash”, dressed up, calmer demeanor and repeating the word “sir” in each answer that she provided for the defense attorney. She even got a bit feisty when West suggested that Trayvon was lying about his role in the incident where Zimmerman clearly got out of his vehicle contrary to the suggestion of the “911 Operator” and followed Trayvon until finally approaching him and touching him, knocking his headset from his head in Zimmerman’s initiation of the confrontation. Her testimony stands rock solid against this “stand your ground” crap ushered in by Mr. Bush, former governor of the State of Florida, that is being used by the defense team as a reason for Zimmerman’s killing of Martin. What a difference, heh?! Who says one can’t change … for the better, at least?!

Well, have a great Friday as we approach the halfway mark of 2013 and Independence Day for this country. Be well!

Peace,

John I. Cook, Director