Offering financial opportunity to homeless and economically disadvantaged individuals.
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Education is a large part of our everyday lives, and I knew from a very young age that there is value in education. Growing up, I had what my parents called “hora de aprender,” which translates to “hour of learning.”
During this time, I would write out my timetables, practice some division, or write/read some Spanish phrases. I saw the value of learning, whether that value brings monetary reward or simply the fulfillment of learning something new.
I always knew that I wanted to go to college, so when it came time for me to go off to college, I was ecstatic. I was excited to be on my own and learn all the lessons college was going to teach me.
According to the Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS), roughly 93,000 Texas students were homeless during the 20202021 school year
One of those lessons was the realization that not everyone had a similar college experience because everyone deals with various obstacles. According to the Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS), roughly 93,000 Texas students were homeless during the 2020-2021 school year. Being home insecure is a major obstacle that students face. As TNOYS states, being home insecure can be attributed to family issues, the loss of a parent, or the cost of housing. For many college students, housing is an added expense on top of the expenses that already come with attending college.
The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments found that one-inthree students across college campuses nationwide are experiencing food insecurity.
Another obstacle that students face is food insecurity. The National Center on Safe Sup-
portive Learning Environments found that one-in-three students across college campuses nationwide are experiencing food insecurity. To combat the food insecurity students face in college, many campuses opened variations of a food pantry within their campus.
For example, at my alma mater, the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), Whataburger partnered with the campus to open the UTSA Student Union Food Pantry or the Whataburger Resource Room. Students can enter and shop from fresh produce to dairy products, cans, and many more pantry essentials. The idea of these food pantries is a way to provide students with as many resources, so they can focus on being a college student and their academics.
Not only are colleges helping their students, but recently passed federal legislation can help students facing housing insecurities. The American Rescue Plan allocated $800 million for state and local governments to help unhoused students in grades K-12. This money would allow schools to provide these students with any immediate needs such as transportation, food, cell phones, and school supplies.
Of course, education is also obtained beyond a college or a K-12 campus. As an example, The Stewpot offers education programs to all clients. The list includes enrichment programs such as The Stewpot’s art program and our writers` workshop. These programs offer clients the opportunity to not only practice their art but also continue to learn new creative skills.
Yet, education is not solely found in a class room, but the action of learning is something we do every day.
The Stewpot’s family stabilization program also offers programs for kids from first grade to twelfth grade, ESL classes, and parent education series. Yet, education is not solely found in a classroom, but the action of learning is something we do every day. Therefore, it is crucial to offer support to those seeking an education, whether that means a formal one or an informal education.
Wendy Rojo is managing editor of STREETZine.
STREETZine is a program of The Stewpot.
Editor’s Note: This essay is excerpted from a sermon that Rev. Disasa delivered at the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas on August 6, 2023.
The STREETZine is a monthly newspaper published by The Stewpot, a ministry of the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas. The Stewpot provides services and resources for people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of being homeless. The organization also offers opportunities for a new life.
As part of this ministry, the STREETZine seeks to raise awareness about the issues surrounding homelessness and poverty. The monthly publication also offers financial opportunity for Stewpot clients who sell the paper to Dallas residents. Vendors are able to move towards economic self-sufficiency by using the money they receive from selling copies to purchase bus passes, food, and necessary living expenses. Clients also receive stipends for contributing articles to STREETZine.
The content in STREETZine does not necessarily reflect the views or endorsement of its publisher, editors, contributors, sponsors or advertisers. To learn more about this publication, contact Betty Heckman, Director of Enrichment, 1835 Young Street, Dallas, Texas 75201 or BettyH@thestewpot. org. To read more about STREETZine, a member of the International Network of Street Papers, go to www. thestewpot.org/streetzine.
STREETZine is published by The Stewpot of First Presbyterian Church.
Managing Editor: Wendy Rojo
Editorial Advisory Board: The Rev. Amos Disasa
Brenda Snitzer
Suzanne Erickson
Russell Coleman
Poppy Sundeen
Sarah Disasa
William McKenzie
Betty Heckman
Photo Editor: Jesse Hornbuckle
I had serious plans to preach a sermon about the prophet’s reward. When I picked this scripture in the spring, the prophet’s reward was a real stumper. In verse 41, Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.”
I was going to preach that sermon, but then it got hot this summer. Existentially hot. Old Testament hot. Stay inside hot. So, I shifted the focus. It’s too hot to ignore the scriptural oasis of verse 42. “Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple — truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
I may have been stumped about the prophet’s reward, but this summer I’m certain about a cup of cold water. You don’t have to tell me twice. When it’s john-blazing hot for going on three months, the difference between a cup of plain water and a cup of cold water tastes like salvation.
Earlier this summer I was home alone for a week. It was glorious. When the family called, I told them I missed them. I didn’t. Any more than a week, and I would be counting down the days until we are reunited. But when you share a home with three full-size roommates with opinions to share, and stuff they want you to see, and questions about your day, and expectations about what should be for dinner, and strong feelings about what to watch on the TV, being home alone is a metaphysical experience.
Trust me, I take full advantage. I put on my gravy shorts soon as I get home. Then I turn off the lights so nobody gets any ideas about knocking on my door. I go horizontal on the couch ‘cause I can and also to hide if someone’s knocking on my door. And I don’t move. I read and watch television from the same spot. I’m not productive.
The last thing I want to hear is the door knocking. On Saturday afternoon of that week, my last day home alone, it did. I muted the TV and slid lower on the couch. The lights were off. Surely this visitor would get the message. He didn’t. The knocks kept coming. Eventually I realized the knocks wouldn’t stop until I answered the door.
As I closed the door, he asked one more question: Can I have a cup of cold water?
When I opened the door, there was a young man, just a kid. He launched into his sales pitch for pest-control services. I stopped him before he got too far along and said have a good day. As I closed the door, he asked one more question: Can I have a cup of cold water?
He’d been out all day working the streets. He needed a cup of cold water, and because he was one of the vulnerable ones, doing a job nobody I know would want and at the bottom of his employer’s org chart, he was one of the little ones Jesus said may come asking for a cup of cold water. He didn’t have to ask in the name of Jesus. Jesus had already named him as a little one.
Just a cup of cold water
Jesus makes it sound so easy. It’s a kid knocking. He just wants a cup of cold water. If all I need to do is pour some cold water for a kid to secure my reward, following Jesus sounds easy. I think I can do this. Just a cup of water?
But it’s not just a cup of water. It is a cup of cold water. Jesus says the kid wants cold water.
Cold water is much different than plain water. When Jesus was wandering all over Galilee, COLD water came from just one place: the neighborhood well. And unless you came back from the well right before the little one knocked on your front door, your water wasn’t cold.
But it’s not just a cup of water. It is a cup of cold water. Jesus says the kid wants cold water.
Just a cup of water and just a cup of cold water are two entirely different things.
Continued on page 5
First Presbyterian Church of Dallas’ (FPC) passion for education dates back to at least the early 1970s, when FPC members started working with Old City Park Elementary School. The church began a mentoring program for the school’s many children who came from low-income families or families experiencing homelessness.
Eventually, the effort became part of The Stewpot ministry, which FPC launched in 1975, and became known as our Children and Youth Program. Later, The Stewpot added a Saturday School program and then a Wednesday night program.
The Children and Youth Program long has been blessed with consistent leadership. Suzanne Erickson, who directed it for about 15 of her now 19 years at The Stewpot, can be credited with much of the program’s success. Suzanne now serves as Senior Director of Programs and Partnerships, overseeing all programming except our meal services.
The other two long-time staff who have strengthened and now lead the program are Alma Reyes, Manager of the Children and Youth Program, and Becky Zamora, Manager of Family Stabilization. They have over 8- and 17-year tenures with the program, respectively.
Today, we have three parts of our Children and Youth Program -- Saturday Kids’ Club, Junior Crew, and Venturing Crew. Saturday Kids’ Club is for elementary students, Junior Crew is for middle school students, and Venturing Crew is for high schoolers.
Kids’ Club meets on Saturdays and Junior Crew and Venturing Crew meet on Wednesday nights during the school year. During the summer, all three meet Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for six weeks.
The Children and Youth Program has been running for so long that most families hear about it by word of mouth. In fact, many families have had all their chil-
dren go through the program. Along with those families spreading the word, Stewpot staff occasionally recruit in the neighborhoods or schools where we serve our other students. Many of our families live in Pleasant Grove, Oak Cliff, or South Dallas.
Our program supports the whole family, too. We have ESL classes, financial education programs, parenting classes, along with supports like food, clothing, and hygiene distribution. Working with the entire family is essential.
When I asked Suzanne Erickson to describe some of the activities that students participate in, she shared this:
“The students engage in a variety of activities. Support of their academic performance means help with homework or tutoring as needed. The children participate in enrichment activities that include the arts, career exploration, recreation, and play. There are opportunities for field trips – educational, recreational and amusement. This could be anything from roller skating or going to the movies or attending art and cultural exhibits.
“The youth participate in similar activities, but they also engage in more activities related to leadership, career exploration, exposure to the community and life skills. We work with Our Friend’s Place, Hope Cottage, and other organizations where they teach about peer pressure, internet and social media safety, budgeting, safe dating, and other social and life skills. It might mean going to a business to learn about a profession or hearing a career speaker.
“Our high school youth have the opportunity to take college tours during the summer and fall as well as explore vocational training opportunities. Many families and students say they have been exposed to so much more in the world and have opened up their vision of what they can do and be because of the programs they participate in.”
Expanding their vision includes encouraging higher education and vocational training after high school. We help students and families apply for college or vocational school as well as financial aid and scholarships. The impact has been substantial. Almost all graduates from our program seek higher education or vocational training.
Students also can apply for our scholarship program, which provides up to $10,000 in support for up to five years. We have 30 students on a Stewpot scholarship this fall and have had over 300 students go through the scholars’ program. Most have graduated and are nurses, teachers, engineers, and business leaders, among other professions.
We have always mentored students through our staff and volunteers but we recently started a more formal United Way-funded mentoring program. We still are seeking mentors, so please contact Marisol Landaverde, our College and Careers Coordinator, if you are interested.
Education works. The Stewpot’s Children, Youth and Family programs show how they make a difference in students’ lives.
When Sergio Patino was a kid, he never dreamed he’d be an engineer working on a NASA moon mission. In fact, he never even dreamed of going to college, because he didn’t know what college was. His is a journey as remarkable as space travel itself, a journey that got a boost from The Stewpot youth program and its former director Suzanne Erickson.
Discovering a world outside his boundaries
Sergio joined The Stewpot’s youth program in fifth grade. “They introduced me to swimming, roller skating, and visiting the zoo. They allowed me to step out of my boundaries as a kid.” His parents both worked and weren’t accustomed to going places for recreation. “The Stewpot exposed me to activities my parents later learned about from me.”
One of those activities was camping with Junior Crew, The Stewpot’s program for middle schoolers. “It helped me develop social skills and cooperation,” he explains. Middle school was also when Sergio became a serious student. “Before that I was having fun like a kid, but in seventh grade I started making choices for myself. I realized I wanted to give it my best in all my studies.”
In high school, Sergio concentrated on academics but had no idea where his endeavors would lead him. The Stewpot Venturing Crew, a program that exposes high school students to education and career opportunities, helped him see a path ahead.
“In ninth grade I didn’t know about college—didn’t know what it was. Venturing Crew took us on field trips to OU [University of Oklahoma], UT Austin [University of Texas at Austin] and other schools.” Sergio started thinking about the possibilities.
As salutatorian of his graduating class, he qualified for admission to any Texas state school. “In my senior year, I was chosen
for the Longhorns Scholars program at UT Austin and learned that they would pay my full tuition. I would be the first in my family to go to college.”
Blazing a trail for his siblings
Sergio was the first college student in the family, but he wouldn’t be the last. “My sister graduated from Texas A&M, and my younger sister just finished her second year at Texas Women’s University. My brother is attending University of Texas at Dallas.” All three siblings also followed in his footsteps as alums of The Stewpot kids’ programs.
His mother, an elementary school cafeteria worker, was motivated to further her education as well. “She got her GED just before I graduated from high school. We got our caps and gowns almost at the same time.”
Sergio’s father left school as a teen to work in his native Mexico, before immigrating to Texas. “He took courses at El Centro to learn English when he first moved to Dallas.” Since then, he’s worked as a commercial truck driver. “He’s always doing things like remodeling the house, working on the car, anything that involves working with his hands.” Sergio sees the seeds of his engineering career in his father’s innate ability. “Because he didn’t go to school, he doesn’t do the calculations, but knows the real-life applications—how to put things together.”
Another major influence in Sergio’s young life was his teacher Dr. Stephanie T. Edwards. “I had her for a ninth-grade class and then for AVID®.” The acronym stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, a program to help students prepare for a successful transition to college. When Sergio graduated second in his class, the Dallas Independent School District asked him to select one of his teachers for special recognition. He chose Dr. Edwards. More than a decade later, the two continue to stay in touch.
Two days after his 2011 high school graduation in Dallas, Sergio started college in Austin. It would have been an abrupt change for anyone, but it was particularly jolting, because Sergio had never lived away from home. “The guidance was
there, but it was still a rough start.”
Sergio’s plan was to go into computer engineering, but after a few semesters, he questioned his path. “Venturing Crew prepared me for college, but I still didn’t know what degree to pursue. The real challenge arose when I realized I wanted to study mechanical engineering. I transferred to University of North Texas and graduated as a mechanical engineer with a minor in mathematics.”
The launchpad for an exciting career
Switching to mechanical engineering turned out to be a good decision. A year after earning his degree, Sergio was working for a NASA contractor, helping to develop safety systems for astronauts’ spacesuits.
That experience led him to Northrup Grumman, where he’s currently designing safety protocols for a vehicle module that will orbit around the moon. “It’s where the astronauts will be stationed.”
Sergio will be earthbound when the astronauts reach the moon, but in some ways his journey is just as impressive. And he looks forward to more adventures ahead, including raising a family. “Someday, when I have kids, I want them to have the experiences I did.”
40 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the re-ward of the righteous;
42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a dis-ciple — truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
Continued from page 2
One demands nothing more than a scoop from the bucket that’s been sitting there all day. The other means you probably got to put on some proper clothes, strap on your dingy sandals, and take a trip to the well.
It’s not just a cup of cold water - it’s an inconvenience, an interruption, it’s an important distinction that you can interpret as an imposition or an opportunity. Just a cup of cold water is just what you don’t want to deal with when you’re lounging. It’s a sacrifice that you can’t outsource. It’s a request that you can’t ignore. You can’t write a check for this one. You have got to stop what you’re doing to do something for a stranger that has nothing to offer you in return.
If it was just about money or plain water, we could stop right here because plain water to Jesus is as plentiful as money is to us. Jesus said the water was cold, which makes it a rare commodity, a precious resource, a real sacrifice. And the precious resource of cold water to Jesus is for us the rare commodity of time and attention.
• Just a cup of cold water is just an hour on the phone with a friend that is grieving.
• Just a cup of cold water is just your lunch break once a week to read with a child at an elementary school.
• Just a cup of cold water is just a weekend with your parents who are aging and with whom your relationship is strained.
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• Just a cup of cold water is just 10 minutes of prayer every day for people other than you.
• Just a cup of cold water is just the way of Jesus, which doesn’t always make practical sense.
I don’t know about you, but Jesus makes it sound so easy. Offer a cup of cold water to a little one who comes in the name of Jesus, and you will get your reward.
Still, too often we opt for pouring cups of plain water, the kind that is just enough to keep our conscience clean.
Serving cold water at The Stewpot
I spent some time recently with The Stewpot’s housing and homeless services team, which serves cold water all
the time. On the day I was there, Ophelia Zamora, manager of our rapid rehousing program, let me listen in on a call she scheduled with another social worker to talk about one of the 175 clients we have housed.
For 20 minutes, they discussed a client’s need for a wheelchair, even though we’d already provided this client a furnished apartment and paid for it over the last year. Ophelia was still on the phone for 20 minutes, doing what all our caseworkers do, showing up and staying for as long as it takes.
Cold water is different. Cold water can only be pulled from one place, cold water can’t be written off with a check, cold water takes time to fetch, and a cup of cold water means you already did the hardest part - you forgave the stranger for being thirsty in the first place.
It’s this part, forgiveness, where we fail to distinguish that just a cup of cold water is just a sign of grace. In our world, grace is as scarce as cold water. But forgiving someone for lacking the resourcefulness to find cold water on their own, is the first step on the way of Jesus.
It’s this part, forgiveness, where we fail to distinguish that just a cup of cold water is just a sign of grace.
Gravy-short Christians bearing cups of plain water follow Jesus from a distance - where it’s cozy and comfortable - where we reserve the right to name the hours we’re available to pour a cup of cold water.
From a distance we remain relaxed in our lounge suit, hiding from interruptions, as if Jesus didn’t interrupt his life for us.
There is someone knocking at your door. They just want a cup of water. Will you forgive them for being thirsty and be abundant in your mercy by fetching more than just water? Do you have time to get them some cold water? Do you have a minute to change out of your lukewarm lounge suit and take them to the river of grace that is the love of Jesus?
Reverend Amos Jerman Disasa is pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas.
I’ve been homeless and living at White Rock Lake for 20 years, except for a couple of periods of time that I actually had a place to live. During these past two decades, I’ve witnessed a lot of humorous activities, blunders, and my version of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”
I’ve laughed at several of my own blunders, including losing my balance on an uphill trail, falling down, and rolling all the way back down to land against a tree! When I went to the QT nearby to clean up, the employee asked me if anyone helped me. I answered by saying, “No, I can fall all by myself. I don’t need anyone to help me with that!”
When I first moved to the lake, I lived in a kind of commune with several tents and about eight other homeless people. There were also a few weekend warriors who would come visit every weekend. At that time, there were some who did drugs, some who drank and got drunk, and some who just lived there.
One of the guys who lived in the commune got up one night around midnight to go to the bathroom and got tangled up in what we called the “vine people.” Vine people are those long vines hanging from trees with half-inch thorns all over them. Since he couldn’t see in the dark, he walked right into the vine people and screamed like a teenage girl!
Another one of the guys who lived in the commune rode his bicycle while drunk, hit a rock, and flipped head over heels. He must have been very pickled! Didn’t he know that drinking and driving is dangerous!
Occasionally I would walk over to the fishing areas and piers. One day, there was a woman there who was fishing close to a goose’s nest. As the woman left the pier to walk back to her car, the goose charged her! Apparently, this woman had been through this before, because as soon as she heard the noise of the goose running, she turned with a stick in her hand and bopped the goose square on its head.
After Hurricane Rita hit Galveston in 2005, the storm came straight up into Central and North Central Texas, including Dallas. After the storms had passed and the lake had receded, a couple of us went to look at some of the damage. We found a lot of debris, but the one thing that struck me as odd, yet funny, was that we came across a complete wet-diving suit that had a cap, goggles, and flippers attached to the suit. We thought it was weird, so we told one of the park police about our interesting find.
Do you ever get the feeling that something or someone is watching you? Well, one night I was sitting outside my tent eating a hamburger and enjoying the evening breeze when I got that strange feeling. I stopped eating and looked around, but I didn’t see or hear anything. Then I looked up. There above me in a tree was a white kitten and a raccoon sitting on a branch and watching me eat my burger! Of course, I left a little bit for them. After all, I do share their residence!
Another time I was washing my hair by the run-off pond. As I finished and reached for my towel, I got that feeling again that something or someone was watching me. About 12 feet across from me sat a beautiful coyote. I wasn’t scared, nor did I try to run. I just slowly walked away, looking over my shoulder. I saw it walk down to the pond and start drinking water. Now that was a patient animal!
Life can sometimes be hard, but finding humor in the small and simple things that occur every day can help make it a little easier.
This story is dedicated to my dad, whose humor and anecdotes I inherited. It’s also dedicated to all the people who have come and gone at White Rock Lake and made life humorous while I’ve lived there.
Vicki Gies is a STREETZine vendor and frequent contributor.
Editor’s Note: Each Friday morning at 10 a.m., The Stewpot hosts a Writers’ Workshop. During the sessions, participants address selected topics through prose or poetry. In this edition of STREETZine, we feature the essays of writers that explore the topic of education.
It all got started from the very first book I read from cover to cover. My eyes popped open to a growing field of knowledge, higher learning, and education. The company of these three would lead me to a successful future. Because life has so many moving parts, I found it best to have a good education. A great education is worth its weight in pure GOLD.
The elements of education have changed in so many ways. Left behind are the shining hardwood floors and wooden desks of the classroom, the friendly faces of the neighborhood teachers. Pencil and paper were the common tools of the classroom.
Moving forward to new-age classrooms exposed me to more tools to work with. TV programs with many characters surfaced. Just to name a few, there were Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, School House Rock, and Sesame Street with Big Bird. TV has helped the development of higher learning. Conjunction Junction — what’s my true function?
Higher learning and education have revolutionized the workplace. Sitting on the platform of professional careers are nurses, doctors, and lawyers. Trade skills include truck driver, carpenter, and bricklayer.
No matter what the question, education has answers. It’s through higher learning that safety has become job #1 in the workplace. With rules and regulations alone, they have kept more people on the job longer. Education and higher learning are the keys to the future next level.
Characters like Wishbone and his adventures helped so many people. Take, for example, my family craft or trade skill: carpentry. My great-great grandfather was a master carpenter. Most of the churches in the area, he built. Yes, under the eyes of my grandfather, I learned the basic skill of this craft.
But it was an advertisement on TV that caught my attention. Come learn to be a CDL (commercial driver’s license) driver. It was at this time that the place of my trade skill changed. DOT or the Department of Transpor-tation was on center stage for this skill. Studies in
the home and class-room, inspection, maintenance, and legalization were required. I got special training under the DOT instructor, both in the field and classroom. The seriousness of the street and highways and byways was at stake.
Public safety became job #1 one in my driving career. A proud holder of my meal ticket, I was ready for the new challenge. So wide is the truck driver field, I could take my pick. My start was with light hauling and route delivery around my area. The electric-andcable utilities truck fleet caught my attention. From the outrigger bucket, digger and pole, these teams roll on different assignment daily. I really enjoyed the adventurous tasks and journey on the open road.
But the adventurous mark of Wishbone wasn’t finished with me. My next challenge would be diesel engine and repair. Conjunction Junction, let see how this diesel engine functions.
Now on DOT center stage was the diesel engine. New rules, technology, tools, and skills were on demand. The classroom and DOT instructor would give you the basics. I gained the understanding of high-pressure pumps, rail technology, fuel injectors, cam shafts, crank cases, fly wheels, cylinder heads, and exhaust. Also, the classroom brought to surface the braking system, tires, AC system with all the electronic devices and testing. DOT classroom studies cover every part of the diesel truck.
Breaking down and restarting the diesel engine was next. We divided into groups throughout the classroom based on type and size of engine. I selected a diesel engine for an automobile. One other person worked with
me. Set in my lab jacket and tool box, I was ready with bucket-bend plastic bags. Pen and paper were needed to log in every part of this engine. It was important to keep all the parts together. Like a doctor in this restart, my work was very serious. In the end, this engine must start and run.
After about two weeks, the DOT instructor was moving forward with the restart phase. The team right beside me had already finished their start and run. Their operation came off perfectly.
Now the DOT instructor was looking at my engine. I was hoping to see him give his thumbs up sign with a smile. My sleep that night was restless. The next day I rushed to the shop with my checklist in hand.
The DOT instructor was already there with my classmate. Words of encouragement were shared. My hour had come. One, two, three — nothing, checking my power connection. After finding the power outlet, again — one, two three, pop, pop. Boom! A big cloud of black smoke rose up. Bam! That engine roared to life.
That diesel engine was running like it was designed to do, just a little fast. I made some adjustments on the engine, and all was well. Now it was high-five time. With my clean shop lab jacket on, I walked around that running engine with my arms and hands behind my back.
But this was only the 2009 edition of diesel mechanic training. Build engine and repair DOT workshops roll out upgrades and new parts each year. The DOT higher learning department never closes. There is always a test.
Challenge, inspire, and encourage from childhood to the current day. My lessons gave me confidence and a sense of greatness. I honor all the great teachers over my lifetime. Thank you for the things you instilled in me. Your part was always a hand leading higher learning and education.
The first book I read cover to cover was the Holy Bible. Now I understand that has turned into wisdom and knowledge.
Larry Jackson is a writer in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
Not all education comes from schools. I want to take education out of the classroom. I want to tell you a story about my education.
Fact 1: You’re never too old to learn.
Fact 2: Every day gives us a chance to learn even more. It’s up to us to take these chances to learn and teach.
Here’s an example: I’m 53 years old and I love the game of chess, but I didn’t learn how to play until 20 years ago. Chess is a fantastic game for people who want to learn how to think. I learned how to play in prison. I always wanted to learn the game, but I learned in one of my prison stays. We were in prison, we were behind bars, but it still gave me a chance to do what I like to do: learn something new.
While in my incarceration, I learned to play chess and I also fell in love deeper with philosophy and reading. I never thought in a million years and as young as I was that I would ever read a novel, and I mean the thick kind, but I read Stephen King’s “The Stand,” “It” — all his books.
I had the choice to either better myself or
continue down the path of criminal activity. Before Incarceration, I never had the chance to read Stephen King, Dean Koontz or Ann Rice. Reading Ied me to want to write more. I was already writing rap and hip hop. But then I was reading “Interview with a Vampire,” and that changed my life. Louis and Lestat in this book showed love on different levels. The love they had for each other was love of needing and wanting. Two creatures who needed a friend — not a bad people, just lonely. Lestat is depicted as evil, but at the same time he was lonely. It made me realize that I’m not a bad person, but there are very few people like me. I’m not weird-weird; I’m just rare.
Life is the greatest teacher. My greatest influence was my dad, who only made it to sixth grade. He learned how to read by copying articles from magazines. He would ask me about works he didn’t know. My dad had pride but didn’t let his pride interfere with learning. He and mom both inspired me.
Mom was highly intelligent. She used to take me shopping with her. We’d go to Nordstrom, not to buy things, but she wanted me to see things. She didn’t have daughters. She was trying to teach me how to be man — how everybody is different. She took me to a library and got me a book on Vincent Van Gogh. Me and Vincent been going through it ever since.
There was a moment at Christmas, when I was by myself. I walked over to the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit near The Stewpot and stood there looking at my favorite painting. It was one of the greatest treats in my life.
Life is a cruel teacher. And the one lesson we have to learn is how to deal with life. We’re forced to learn how.
In 53 years, I have learned so much. But guess what — just because I’ve come into my adult stage of life, I’m still learning. One lesson I’ve been forced to learn recently is the healing of a broken heart. Truth is, you never really completely heal from this kind of wound. There will always be sounds, sights, and smells that will remind, but it’s up to us how we handle these things. As I look back on my life, I’ve become thankful for all my scars, because they created the person that I am.
So, in closing, education is a lifetime mission. Every day, it gives us a chance to learn more, and we will learn more whether we like it or not.
Charles Duff is a writer in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
Growing up we are taught that you are never too old to learn something new. After high school many of us applied this theory to work, perfecting a trade or climbing the corporate ladder. So, what do we do when some of life’s experiences change that course, and you see yourself starting over when most are settling down?
I found myself faced with this dilemma in my mid-forties and put this age-old saying to the test. I enrolled in college, which is a place I thought I had escaped many years ago. This time, I was looking for a fresh start at a school desk in the front of the classroom.
If you knew me better, you would have thought I had slipped and hit my head. Previously, I was not a model student and didn’t really enjoy school. My attitude became even more apparent when I failed miserably to mirror my friends’ college aspirations. I followed Timothy Leary’s advice and decided to “Turn
on, tune in and drop out.” Leaving higher education for a personal exploration into drugs, alcohol, and pursuit of the almighty dollar. So, when I chose to give college another shot the perceived outcome was far from optimistic.
Something I failed to consider was all that I had learned through the trials and tribulations I encountered in life and how much it had changed me. No longer did my desk imprison me for the duration of class. It became a driver’s seat for countless roads to knowledge.
My previous goals of simply passing had been eclipsed by a true desire to learn. To my surprise, this newfound ambition brought with it a shadow that was cast from pride and accomplishment. I began to fill parts of myself that no drink or drug nor any amount of money had ever pervaded. For the first time in my life, I could confidently identify myself as a student.
Another blessing uncovered within these walls of wisdom was that I wasn’t alone. Many people, it turns out, are going back to school in their later years for a myriad of reasons.
This brought a sense of comfort to my uneasy soul and a common connection I could build on in my newfound home.
You see, I come from the tribe of second chances where fitting in is hard to do. We find our path through the thorns and thistles not by going around them. This is why I’m forever grateful that I gave college another chance and it welcomed me with a different view. I have been blessed with a love of learning that had always felt foreign.
Now I’m headed down a road to expanding my knowledge and, God willing, to help others along the way. So, to all my second chancers out there: Don’t ever give up because who knows where you might find your opportunity to learn something new.
Mike McCall is a student at Dallas College and a writer in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
My educational experience has been a real doozy. I grew up in North Dallas and went to Hamilton Park Elementary School, where I had both good and bad experiences.
I remember so many instances growing up in the Richardson Independent School District. I experienced prejudice at a high level. My third-grade teacher told me I could never be anything more than a janitor. I was falsely accused of many crimes as an elementary student. And some grades were changed from “pass” to “fail.”
At Forest Meadows Junior High, I was a person people looked to for advice on many levels of life. I led the campaign for the person who won the class presidency. I gave the campaign advice that they followed. Other students didn’t want me to compete because I was more advanced. In orchestra, I was firstchair violin.
My first year in high school, my principal, who was from my junior high, told me that I couldn’t be in Lake Highlands High School.
He referred me out of Richardson ISD because he didn’t want my character or influence at the school. The other kids supported me in not accepting disrespect or wrongdoing. If I led somewhere, they would follow.
He also told me that my impact on the other students was a threat to his leadership. So, I went to Lincoln High School in the Dallas school district where I learned radio/TV and journalism. I was captain of the golf team and started on football and track teams.
I went onto Everest College, where I studied business and was in the top one percent of my class. I didn’t finish because they couldn’t find my transcripts. They really liked me and tried to find different ways to keep me.
The thing that I got out of growing up in the educational system is that in a collective, you are still your own individual person. That’s who I’ve always been, and that’s who I’ll always be.
In high school, I was on an accelerated block with tougher classes. I didn’t expect an advantage in a college class because I dropped out of high school in my junior year. I was able to get things situated and start college classes. That was largely because my mother is a teacher who taught me well. I was able to go back and get my GED and then apply to college.
College life was particularly important to me because it was the reason that I found myself. The ever-present search for an identity as a freshman in college is intense. People are freaking out, choosing careers, and some even getting married. I stayed single despite opportunities and pressure to hook up. The dating scene was never mine.
Choosing a major to enjoy studying, making new friends in a shocking cultural environment, and eating well conspired to provide a fresh start. I was a theater major at first, but I grew an attitude for no reason other than I was young. I then shifted to major in business until I became aware of foul practices some businesses engage in. I did alright in business classes, but finally came to psychology.
It was the favorite of all my majors. Discovering how the brain works without being able to diagnose disorders was fun. The different personalities and learning patterns of growing up were so interesting I’m excited to relive the experience in writing.
I quickly found my place academically and in social clubs. I became president of the Earth Day Club and started a Socrates Club. But I lost my housing in college and decided that living in a truck and traveling cross-country was the new thing to participate in.
I ended up driving 18-wheelers and doing door-to-door canvassing during election campaigns. Eighteen wheelers were a dream, but the classes were rigid. There is a lot more than you would think to learn about being on the road all the time. And seeing all the gridlocked states during changing seasons enlightened my soul.
I love teachers. They have unique attitudes and styles. High school teachers train you for tough college professors and vocational directors are down-to-earth. There is never a dull day in class.
Jason Turner is a writer in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
I would like to take you on a journey. Our first destination will be to introduce you to my Greatest Teacher.
He never let go of me as a student and loved me as a Father loves a child.
The only difference is this Father of mine is also my best friend.
I talk to Him about everything and anything I want to ask Him about. I can talk with Him about things I could never share with anyone else.
He helped me when I was hurting the most, ready to leave this life because all my dreams and happiness for the future were shattered.
I was hopeless on a boat without a paddle, and imagine the boat was sinking and I didn’t know how to swim.
He guided me and held me in His arms and carried me to shore.
I am a very good swimmer and began swimming as a child at a young age. But sometimes this life will take you down a waterfall and shatter you and your future. There is someone carrying you, though, walking on the water as you think you are drowning.
He brought me back to life and showed me
I learned to box when I was in elementary school. I worked out of a gym in Oak Cliff from fourth grade through seventh grade. A coach there taught me how to box, which I really liked. Boxing taught me how to be calm and move.
I started working out so I could be good. And I was good. I won most of my matches as a lightweight.
I also went to Street Church Academy to get my GED, but I got locked up. I started getting into trouble by the time I hit eighth grade. In fact, I got booted from school when I was in junior high and went to Dallas Can Academy. Dallas Can is for kids who get kicked out of junior high or high school. I didn’t learn much there because I stopped going.
a love only dreams could ever come close to providing. Have you ever had a dream that was so real and so wonderful that you tried going back to sleep?
Dreams are nice but what is even better than a dream is reality. Sometimes we go through life and can’t see the masterpiece God is painting because we haven’t seen the finished product.
We wonder why we have to go through so much pain. “To make you stronger son,” Jesus tells me.
His Heavenly Father asked Him to give His life for me and that’s exactly what He did. He gave His life for me so I would live.
Can you imagine being all powerful and all knowing and your Father telling you, “You are going to be brutally tortured and then hung on a cross for all mankind?”
Even Jesus felt rejected in completing the masterpiece His Father was painting when He said, “Father why have you forsaken me?”
This is a mystery revealed in that, 2,000 years later, Jesus Christ is still glorified and He will be glorified forever and ever.
And then the Heavenly Father spoke through Jesus saying, “ It is finished!”
He was saying all is accomplished through His Beloved Son Jesus Christ, through His
I then got locked and went to prison. I spent my high school years in prison. It’s also where I went to school and got my GED. I completed a plumbing trades course and took college prep classes.
After being released from prison, I eventually went to El Centro College in downtown Dallas. Going to El Centro, which is part of Dallas College, in 2016 and 2022 was a good thing for me. Both opportunities improved my education and opened doors into new jobs.
Back in 2016, my major was business administration and it helped me get my business — DRT Janitorial and Floor Services — up and running. I ran that for a few years and am working now on getting it going again. I need to get more contracts now that I have renewed my Dallas business license. I am working on getting those contracts.
In 2022, I majored in fashion at El Centro and enjoyed that short summer class, earning a B.
great sacrifice. The Spotless Lamb, Jesus Christ, was perfect and without sin. He carried our sin upon Him unto the grave and then rose on the third day.
What an amazing life Jesus lived, and He is still alive.
He taught me the greatest thing you can do in life is give your life for your friend.
I want to follow in His footsteps. He is my closest Friend, and I would do anything for Him.
Thank you for letting me tell you about the Greatest Someone I have ever known.
His name is Jesus Christ. I am forever His, forever.
You should meet His Heavenly Father. He would blow your mind. Open up your hearts and you will find Him.
It all begins when you find the Door. You must open it and not walk away. Jesus is the Doorway. Come on in and meet the King of King and the Lord of Lords. He calls you His children.
I want you to know my Greatest Teachers: my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
James Varas is a writer in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
We dressed up mannequins and had to come up with our own styles for them. I put a long sleeve cotton shirt with a black Dobbs hat and fur scarf on my mannequin. I also put on blue jeans with holes in them. For shoes, I put on Ralph Lauren boots. We did this to help us learn how you could go to a store like Neiman Marcus and Dillard’s to get a job.
Throughout this class, I also learned how fashion impacts our society. As an example, we looked at pop culture figures like Puff Daddy and their styles. He has a fashion mind.
I need to go back to El Centro so I can finish my business major. I would like to go back sometime soon. That will help me get my business going.
I fell in love with novels written in English later in life. I was not a native speaker. Although my day-to-day English was okay I was nowhere near fluent in reading.
It took a series of major mental breakdowns in my mid-thirties that led me to English novels. I was desperately looking for ways to engage my derailed mind. In the psych hospital discharge area I saw a bookshelf with free books for patients. I picked a novel. With their approval I took it with me.
Up until that time I had not read any English novels. Flipping to the first page of it, I was right away snagged by words and phrases unknown to me while puzzled by others that looked vaguely familiar but lacking clear identity. There were synonymous words with subtle differences I didn’t know. Like a small boat sailing through stormy seas I was about to capsize during the first couple of paragraphs. With the help of a dictionary I went through the first chapter in what seemed a long time. What kept me going was that for the most part I understood. This inspired me tremendously.
I read a couple of hundred in the ensuing years, each time choosing one that was slightly higher than my vocabulary level.
I plowed through that first novel laboriously. I was tired but satisfied when it was finished. I read a couple of hundreds in the ensuing years, each time choosing one that was slightly higher than my vocabulary level. Then one day I asked a fellow library goer the meaning of several phrases from a book. She furrowed her eyebrows and asked me, “You read the entire book without knowing English idioms?” It sounded like a literary insult I didn’t expect although it had a grain of truth.
I went and got a dictionary of English idioms making sure to read ten idioms by heart a day regardless of whether I could remember them or not.
Much time had passed. I noticed although my reading literacy had improved my reading speed had not. I needed to read a little bit faster. But my reading speed stalled. I found out later on Google that I was pronouncing each word quietly in my head while reading. It’s called subvocalization where the reader associates sound instead of sight of each word with its meaning causing unnecessary delays. I couldn’t possibly read all the English
novels in my lifetime. At this rate I wouldn’t even be able to scratch the surface.
Could meditation help solve this problem? I heard of it being practiced to achieve better concentration.
I sat down trying to relax and focus on breathing while starting to read. In fits and starts after many tries over several weeks, I got a glimpse of what reading was like without any delays. Just as I was elated by the promise of smooth sailing subvocalization sneaked back in my head. I didn’t understand why this habit was so hard to get rid of. I felt like I was going somewhere whereas I wasn’t going anywhere.
In fits and starts after many tries over several weeks, I got a glimpse of what reading was like without any delays.
Although I knew mental focus had a lot to do with correcting bad habits and maintaining good ones, I didn’t seem able to have any control over it. It waned at a moment’s notice. I knew I had to work on staying focused. Perhaps I didn’t have the best sense of dis-
cipline? Or maybe I wasn’t hard enough on myself?
It was true I couldn’t keep up with things compared to most people. I tried not to make excuses for myself. At the same time I understood not everyone had the same strength and weakness. I knew my weakness in reading. But where was my strength?
Today in my mid-fifties I’m still struggling with subvocalization. Nevertheless, my love for English novels becomes stronger as the years go by. I love learning new words and expressions in different contexts.
Novels present a kaleidoscope of humanity while English language provides necessary tools like a painter’s brushes and paints. With each writer’s unique creative gift English novels forever fascinate me. Perhaps my strength is in my love for the richness of the English language unfolded in the novels. It’s what keeps me going further in spite of my imperfections.
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