My View
Mentoring Matters, Even From a Guido
BY JOSEPH P. BATORY/School Administrator, January 2022

WHEN I FINISHED high school in June 1960, I saw three future choices: to attend Philadelphia’s La Salle College (not then a university); pursue a blue-collar job at the huge General Electric plant located in my neighborhood; or what was my first choice, pursue numbers running. The latter meant working in illegal gambling under the direction of Guido, the local “wise guy” bookie.

My top goal was soon derailed. Guido authoritatively reduced my options by demanding I go to college. “For heaven’s sake Joey, you’re one of the first around here to ever get admitted to college, so why would you throw away that opportunity?” Guido argued. “Besides, you’ll be a representative from us people in the real world! You didn’t have no silver spoons growing up so you could be a role model. You could inspire kids from this neighborhood to reach upward. And what a difference you could make as a teacher or a principal for kids who grew up like you did. So forget about running numbers.”

Guido stopped by my house on a steamy summer night, and I filled out my acceptance confirmation from La Salle in front of my mom and dad and Guido and mailed the packet. The three adults were jubilant. I was depressed and felt like I was trapped on a shaky tree limb.

A few weeks later, I paid my first semester La Salle tuition ($300), an awesome amount for someone from my social class, picked up my roster and navigated my way to the five scheduled classes. The professors were friendly, classes were small, and teaching involved “give and take” between students and teachers. And I was struck by the manners of classmates. Shockingly, people said hello and nodded to you like you were an equal.

Discovering a Passion

The academic challenges were formidable. My lower-class social background made me feel like an alien from another planet.

I rode public transit to and from La Salle each day. No way I could afford to live on campus. Thankfully, Guido was always there for me. On the congested streets of my Philly neighborhood, he constantly encouraged me during my four-year La Salle adventure, picking me up when I was down and always offering positive reinforcement.

Finally, after more than a year of being lost in the meaningless pathways of college subjects, I found refuge in a superbly taught English novel course. The literature we read featured social class discrimination, hatred, revenge, betrayal, power struggles, violence, and deception — not unlike the experience of growing up in my neighborhood. I had found relevance at last. I became a real student for the first time in my life as an English major.

An Unlikely Source

To La Salle’s credit, it was the only institution of higher learning that dared to admit me. Furthermore, many La Salle professors nurtured me during my four years toward my eventual degree.

And then of course, there was the irrepressible Guido. In simplest terms, without my shady motivator, college probably would never have happened for me. It was a debt I promised to pay back through my career in education.

The bottom line: Mentoring matters monumentally, especially for those young people who need support the most. The empathy, motivation and encouragement I received from an unlikely source changed the course of my life.

JOSEPH BATORY was superintendent in Upper Darby, Pa., for 15 years. His column is drawn from his book Joey Lets it All Hang Out.