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A Life Well Lived — Vin Scully Made Time to Listen
When I heard that sports broadcaster Vin Scully had died, I immediately thought about my students. For a man bigger than life and known all over the world for his broadcasting, he was a giant and a role model for the hundreds of kids I introduced to him over a twenty year period that spanned from 1986 to 2006. Vin’s life was indeed a life well lived.
Most of my students were born in the States to parents who had immigrated from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and the Philippines. Yet, they hadn’t been exposed to many things children tend to take for granted.
For example, during my first year teaching in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, it came to light that not one of my students had ever been to the beach, or to Disneyland, or to a professional sports event. I taught 5th and 6th graders that first year, and asked the principal for permission to begin taking students to these places on the weekends.
Permission was granted, and rules were set in place to ensure everyone’s safety and well being. I enlisted the help of several of my adult friends, so we would always have both a male and female adult supervising these young people. The very first outing was a trip to Dodger Stadium to see a professional, major league baseball game.
