THE DAY THE TYRANT WAS FIRED.

When you were young, did you ever wish that some mean adult would be fired? in 1970, the wishes of more than fifty boys, myself included, were granted. In my Deliverance From Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School) memoir, I describe how the administration abruptly terminated a selfish supervisor's employment.

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On rare occasions at Jericho, justice was truly served. As I stood on top of the concrete fort one cloudy February morning, I heard the joyous cry ring through the playground, "Mrs. Parker's been fired!" I danced with elation and glee once I realized that she finally received her just desserts.

A few weeks previously, Brian met with some of the junior boys, as well as us older students, and we decided to launch a complaint. Since Mrs. Corrigan was a fair-minded person, we figured she might have the authority and inclination to help. We felt incredibly mature as we met with our principal after school in the junior dorm's sitting room. Once we had shared pleasantries, we launched into our case.

"We've come to complain about Mrs. Parker," Brian began. "She's been taking our candy and money for years. She also spent it on her car."

"That's a serious allegation," Mrs. Corrigan said. "What proof do you have concerning what she's done?"

One by one, we enumerated Mrs. Parker's apparent pilfering of our money and other abuses of her authority. "I'll look into these matters. If it's as serious as you boys say, disciplinary action ought to be taken," Mrs. Corrigan replied, clearly concerned.

Her investigation ultimately led to Mrs. Parker's firing, saving future unsuspecting blind boys from having candy confiscated and being humiliated. Though I did not benefit directly, I felt satisfied that I helped those unfortunate boys who the government head hunters would send to Jericho in the future.

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Deliverance from Jericho contains many more vignettes of what life was like in that government-run institution. These range from poignant experiences of homesickness to hilarious incidents of mischief. Click here to read more about this book and to order it. You may also e-mail me directly if the comment form doesn't work.