Larry Smith, a professional counselor enrolled in the same teaching residency program, is Morman's replacement. He finds the students at Patapsco Middle "unruly while being nice," and sees in their eyes the same spark of potential Morman did.
But Smith says he spends way too much time "just trying to get them to behave all day." He wants to teach.
Having worked as a counselor of at-risk teenagers, Smith stepped up for this job so that he could influence kids "on the front end," in school, when there's still hope for them.
"This isn't really a career switch for me," he says. "I don't expect to be rocked by it the way [Morman] was." At 51, he still has the spark of idealism in his voice. That's a voice the school kids in Baltimore need to hear, assuming they can be quiet enough, long enough, to hear it.
dan.rodricks@baltsun.com
Information about Baltimore's Teaching Residency can be found at www.bcteachingresidency.org. Dan Rodricks' column appears Thursdays and Sundays. His radio show, Midday, can be heard on WYPR-FM, 88.1, Mondays through Thursdays.
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