Tommy Should Be Held Back in First Grade

Tommy’s parents kept him home, while others his age attended Kindergarten. They taught him the alphabet and numbers. The only interaction he had with other children, were his two younger brothers. Tommy’s parents did not believe in television in the home, so he did not see Sesame Street or cartoons. Instead, they took him to work with them and explored the outdoors for recreation.

When he finally went to first grade in 1983, he was somewhat bewildered. He did what he thought he was supposed to do. He never raised his hand for permission to get a drink of water; he simply went.

This was forbidden.

From an early age, school taught children to ask permission and submit to authority. Tommy was a year late in this most important aspect of public education. His reluctance to recognize authority would follow him throughout life.

He was obedient when instructed in a course of action, but in the absence of instruction, he did his own thing. The other children, who had shared Kindergarten and television experiences, played together. Tommy played alone. The teacher observed Tommy’s odd, non-conformist behavior.

She must call his parents.

At the parent/teacher conference, the teacher learned that Tommy had not gone to Kindergarten. “If I had known that, I would not have accepted him in my class,” she said, “I think he will have to be held back a grade.”

“Absolutely not,” Tommy’s parents said, “He just has to get used to school.”

Tommy caught his stride in fourth grade. Thereafter, he was in the top one percent of his class, eventually graduating cum laude from UNLV, and then law school.

Thomas uses his non-conformism to defend clients who have not conformed to the expectations of State authority. His innocent clients often face severe punishment. The press libels, vilifies, and implies guilt, whenever the police or prosecutors serve them up a scandalous story. Without the aid of their attorney, they would have no chance against a money-based justice system.

Thomas muses, “If my parents had agreed to hold me back in first grade, I would have remained behind my class and probably never have felt the desire to excel. The school system tried to break my individuality, but my parents did not let it. Now I try to prevent the cold bureaucratic system from breaking others. Life is too short to live only for the expectations of others. Presumption of innocence is hard to maintain for clients when many believe that suspicion equals guilt. Most people think a non-conformist is guilty.”

John Galt should have been a criminal defense lawyer.