Roland Allen: Weblog

I got up early to catch the full moon set over the mountains this morning.

View complete photo gallery.

I’m in New York City for the annual forum of the College Board.

It is difficult being out of southern California during a time of crisis, because I know that my family, friends and colleagues are dealing with a powerful event day-to-day right now.

I’ve heard that the air quality has deteriorated since I left town Wednesday morning. School was closed yesterday and will be again today.

I met a former student for dinner Wednesday night, who was in the first class of students I worked with as a college counselor, when I was at The Branson School in Marin County. This student went to college in northern New England and is now doing very good work in New York City that is helping underperforming schools improve. It was exciting for me to hear about the project.

Yesterday, a former student and I met for coffee at New York University. There’s something good about seeing the independence that kids can develop in college. I’m all about encouraging students to develop their voice and their values.

Today is pretty packed with workshops I’m interested in attending. And the Forum Social is tonight. Fortunately, it’s across the street from the hotel I’m staying at.

I’m in Austin, Texas for a professional conference.

When I arrived yesterday afternoon, I took a taxi from the airport. The driver was pretty scary. Her cab was pock-marked and appeared to have survived a hail storm or two, which was not unlike how the driver looked.

She told me a number of stories about her life. As the stories progressed I came to the conclusion, “Yep, this is Texas.” I also decided that it wasn’t a question of “if” she was crazy. I was trying to gauge the degree and as I did I wondered about escape routes out of the cab, if it came to that.

I kept my cell phone handy. Actually, I made some calls to random friends just to have a distraction from the driver, but she joined into my phone conversations. Although she only heard my side of the conversations, she added her comments along the way to what I was saying.

She told me a story about living on the Texas Gulf Coast with her husband and being sent to her mother’s house in Austin with their kids when a hurricane came through. The house survived the storm but she told me that she refused to go back because she wasn’t going to be chased by hurricanes.

Keeping on the storm theme she told me about running from a tornado in Austin while driving a cab and parking under a bridge overpass with some school kids she had in her cab. Evidently they got out of the cab and stood under the bridge. She said that the cab was destroyed and that she was hit in the head with a flying object and lost her memory.

The stories went on, without improvement, until we got to my hotel.

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I’m staying next to O. Henry’s house in downtown Austin.