European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 21, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday april 21, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 25commentaryholman american kids in trouble wait Morrissette a conversation about the super bowl and pro bowl with Cincinnati bengals tight end Rodney Holman in Wiesbaden last week veered off into the american education crisis a and the Impact it will have on our leaders of tomorrow. Holman played for Tulane University in new Orleans from 1978-81 and got his bachelors degree in physical education and history in 1981. He lives in nearby Slidell la., in the off season and continues to take courses at Tulane. He has studied business civil engineering and education administration and in 1988 he picked up an associates degree in business. Holman and his wife Sandra have a 4-year-old daughter Shayla. He turned 30 Friday. Holman talks to Young people in stateside schools and spoke to Wiesbaden and bad Kreuz Nach High school students this week while touring Germany with Garin Veris of new England Joey Browner of Minnesota and Leslie of Neal of san Diego. Take a look at the kids Holman talks to through his eyes. A i m worried about How the kids of today Are throwing away their futures with the High dropout rate the drug scene and All a Holman said. A the things you did at 18, they re doing at 12. You can to understand Why these kids Are coming out of schools wanting to do that. Its a social change that s shocking because its hard to say what might happen to As if to verify what Holman was talking about this newspaper recently ran a front Page Story about american teen agers killing each other Over Satin jackets Gold chains and expensive basketball shoes. And �?o48 hours on an to showed a teens in trouble in Southern California and Phoenix Ariz. The show depicted teens being hospitalized and imprisoned for abusing their parents drugs and each other. Some had attempted suicide others ran away from Home to live in malls others ended up in juvenile Hall. Holman warns the students about depending on their pro sports dreams and gives them a taste of what life is like inside football a i went to Tulane to get a Good education and play football a he said. A if it a pro career did no to happen i Wasny to going to rely on it. Some kids eat sleep and drink football and when the seasons Over they done to go to class. A hell when i went to Tulane it was and is a big academic Power but it Wasny to and in t a football powerhouse that stood out like the Michigan okla Homas or Alabama. A what Are your chances of being a top round pick out of that school slim. A so you la be a free agent a Holman continued. A if you go into Camp you might make a Little Money during Camp. And if you re Lucky you might make the club. A but what if you done to make the club you re going to be out there just like everyone else. On the Street Holman sees a United states in the 21st Century resembling George Orwell so a 1984.�?� a a in a Kinda scared to look into the future 20 years from now and wonder if the United states is going to be the United states. Naturally we re going to be Way Back. But Are we going to be controlled by someone else. A How Are these people going to contribute to society How Are they going to be politicians or elect presidents in a scared to say what May happen in 20 years. A a it a got to get better than what it is. They re army 1st i Hobert t. Fischer bengals tight end Rodney Holman top right joins soldiers of the 63rd signal in in Wassweiler wednesday. Going to be gobbled up and have no one to blame but Holman said kids too often use racial barriers As an excuse. A everyone has obstacles in their Way a he said. A you have to be ready to persevere to overcome the obstacles. It might take a Little diversification but it also takes a Little strategy in being smart in How to get around the different Holman then relates a conversation he had with a seventh grader Holman a a seventh grader who drops out of school can read or write. But would you want to elect one As your police chief or congressman seventh grader Quot Why a a because he does no to know the a what if he becomes an accountant could he do your parents taxes a Why a a because he know a a that a what in a trying to Tell you. If they done to go to school you re going to have to put people in those jobs who Arentt qualified put people in those offices not qualified educationally to do things. Mostly because they Haven t had experience in other things. A a you re going to have someone with an eighth Grade education who a going to be your politician who a going to be in Washington. He a going to be making decisions to Rule this country. Or you re going to have a foreign prime minister or ambassador with a 10th or 12th-Grade education representing this country. A do you want that kind of person doing that stuff for you a surely we will always have enough Harvard or Yale or Stanford grads to run our country right or wont we what does All this have to do with sports fans without educations can t get jobs or pay for tickets which help pay for player salaries or buy the goods advertised by businesses which pay the billions in to sponsorship fees so fans can watch the games. So Why does Holman or any other sports Star talk to kids he does no to have to. A had i had someone talking to me Early in life i might not be playing football right now a Holman said. �?o1 might be doing something he tried to get an off season sates Job in his Home state but said he was told a a we re in a state where the unemployment rate is 11 percent. We can to hold a Job for you while he goes to Cincinnati for the nil season when we be got people with Mas and others who Are qualified but out of a he said he could understand their position but a a in a at the position of a College freshman who has to decide what he a going to do in what about teaching counselling or coaching Holman said he a leaning toward education administration. �?o1 could do that but i want to get inside the teachers mind and see Why the importance of education has left them a the tight end said. A they should push the kids at the suggestion that american teachers arc probably among the lowest paid in the world and we should pay them More he said a a that a one incentive. But there used to be a time Back in the �?T50s and �?T60s, when teachers used to come out of school and teach because they enjoy teaching. A now teachers came out in the mid-�?T70s because they did no to marry the Rich kid in College. And they did something just to go into leaching that did t push them to their utmost capabilities. If they would have applied themselves harder in their Classwork. They settled for teaching but their mind and their heart Wasny to with teaching. It was just a 9-to-5 Job they were in Holman a opinion today a teachers have the wrong attitude. A their attitude is a hey i be got my education now you get but you As an educator you have to realize they have Short attention spans and you have to stimulate and motivate them. If you done to do that you re just doing your 9-Lo-5, Hope to get your Check get your tenure then get out of the school system. A these kids will be your leaders of tomorrow a Holman said. A if you Haven to educated them then what a the problem the Only person it reflects to is the teacher. He can say a Well i gave it to them it s something they be done a a that a Why i want to concentrate on education administration so i can Sec what makes them the teachers Tim Sun and Stripe policeman shoots Fullerton grinder in fight outside bar Fullerton Calif. Lat a a Cal mate Fullerton football player was shot by an off duty police officer thursday during a. Brawl outside a bar that resulted in the arrest of two other Titan players including Star running Back Mike Pring Clarence Siler a 6-foot-4, 240-Pound defensive end from Daytona bean fla., was shot in the right shoulder and was in fair condition at Uci medical Center in Orange. The fight marked the third time in two years that Cal state Fullerton football players have been in the news because of fights at nightclubs. In april 1988, an Eltoro Marine died after a fight with two Titan players. Last month a fight involving players broke out at a Campus pub resulting in the Spring practice suspension of two players. Pringle 22, of Fullerton who in his senior year last season led the nation in All purpose yardage with 2,690 Yards was arrested on suspicion of assault. Andrew fears 21, also was arrested on assault charges
