St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Louisiana is without a doubt one of the great African-American educational success stories in America. Since 1955, young men have graduated from this school more prepared than they could imagine for life. St. Aug has produced a mayor, judges, state congressmen, highly successful businessmen, an NBA head coach, NBA players, NFL players, CFL players, MLB players, feature film actors, an ESPN personality, world-renowned musicians, highly decorated military men, an award-winning playwright, media personalities, and other renowned professionals who dot various parts of the world. Perhaps the greatest compliment that the Purple Knights have ever received came from a former university professor who said that the school's biggest success was making education a "masculine thing."
And how has this success occurred? Through good ol' fashioned, hard-nosed discipline via corporal punishment. Yes, even in the 21st Century a school uses the paddle to steer its students in the right direction. I got the paddle in my first week of school as a 5-foot-nothin', 100-plus pound eighth grader. I'm still here, I'm alive, I have no permanent injuries, and there has been no emotional harm done to me. So, for Gregory Aymond, the archbishop of New Orleans to cite a study that says corporal punishment causes permanent physical and emotional damage is absolute B.S.
Since 1951, St. Aug has had to march to the beat of its own drum. Born to provide Black teenage males with a college preparatory curriculum and a spiritual foundation, hundreds of boys became young men at a time when Jim Crow set out to remove the heart and soul of every Person of Color. St. Aug, through its signature discipline, taught every young man who entered its hallways that the best way to learn is to sit down, shut up, and listen. Those who could not comply, would be taught to comply with swiftness or they would leave the school. What hundreds of young men learned, through the paddle, was that those who manage the unforgiving waters of life, would become successful.
That hard-nosed, signature discipline is what produced a marching band which broke the color barrier in the 60's, six Presidential Scholars, scores of National Merit Scholars, a 95% college bound rate, three state championship football teams, a national championship basketball team, and scores of other academic and extracurricular honors. It also reinforced the stately code, appearance, and reputation of the Purple Knight.
The paddle teaches that for every action, there is a reaction and for every transgression, there is a price to pay. The paddle establishes the alpha male relationship that every teenage boy needs from his elders. St. Augustine High School never asked for anyone's permission to achieve greatness, and it should not have to ask now. Greatness is born of discipline. Archbishop Aymond's unfortunate interference in the school's business is a clear message that he does not understand how the unique brand of St. Aug greatness has been cultivated for 60 years.
And how has this success occurred? Through good ol' fashioned, hard-nosed discipline via corporal punishment. Yes, even in the 21st Century a school uses the paddle to steer its students in the right direction. I got the paddle in my first week of school as a 5-foot-nothin', 100-plus pound eighth grader. I'm still here, I'm alive, I have no permanent injuries, and there has been no emotional harm done to me. So, for Gregory Aymond, the archbishop of New Orleans to cite a study that says corporal punishment causes permanent physical and emotional damage is absolute B.S.
Since 1951, St. Aug has had to march to the beat of its own drum. Born to provide Black teenage males with a college preparatory curriculum and a spiritual foundation, hundreds of boys became young men at a time when Jim Crow set out to remove the heart and soul of every Person of Color. St. Aug, through its signature discipline, taught every young man who entered its hallways that the best way to learn is to sit down, shut up, and listen. Those who could not comply, would be taught to comply with swiftness or they would leave the school. What hundreds of young men learned, through the paddle, was that those who manage the unforgiving waters of life, would become successful.
That hard-nosed, signature discipline is what produced a marching band which broke the color barrier in the 60's, six Presidential Scholars, scores of National Merit Scholars, a 95% college bound rate, three state championship football teams, a national championship basketball team, and scores of other academic and extracurricular honors. It also reinforced the stately code, appearance, and reputation of the Purple Knight.
The paddle teaches that for every action, there is a reaction and for every transgression, there is a price to pay. The paddle establishes the alpha male relationship that every teenage boy needs from his elders. St. Augustine High School never asked for anyone's permission to achieve greatness, and it should not have to ask now. Greatness is born of discipline. Archbishop Aymond's unfortunate interference in the school's business is a clear message that he does not understand how the unique brand of St. Aug greatness has been cultivated for 60 years.
1 comments:
Great commentary! This should be mandatory reading for all parents at St. Aug!
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