100 Things We Learned in Prison

Their eyes grew big like saucers.

“Mr. Spence, you want us to do what?”

I told the boys that they had heard me correctly. 100 things. Not 10, not 50, but 100.

Moans filled our classroom. Eyes rolled.

Torey sat in the back, smiling. He stood up and encouraged them in his thick Latino accent.

“When I was a juvie just like you Spence gave me the same assignment. I thought I couldn’t do it. But I did. And you can too.”

I thanked him. I thought back to those early days of teaching with Torey. A lot of my teaching was based around things I’d read. One of my favorite columnists posted a “General Life Advice” article every December with 100 things he’d learned during the year. On a whim, I decided to have my students complete a similar activity, except they’d have to write 100 things they knew to be true.

Out of fairness, I did the exercise myself. And I’ll admit, it was hard, but friends, it was SO rewarding.

The “100 Things” assignment has become an annual traditional in all our horticulture classes. Each year when it’s assigned, I hear the same moans. But afterwards, students present 5 of their favorites to the class. Then, although they are careful not to let me hear it, they talk amongst one another about how much fun it actually was.

In keeping with the tradition, we’ve compiled some of their best submissions.

From this small sample, we hope you get a glimpse of just how wonderfully creative and intelligent our students are, as well as how misunderstood they are by the public. Prison is not the same place that you see in movies or on TV; it’s a place full of hopes and dreams, good and bad, righteous and evil, just like the “free world” you and I move through daily.

If you feel inspired to meet those in prison and to serve, we have two upcoming opportunities this spring. Our Returning Hearts Celebrations at Burruss Correctional Training Center (1.5 hours south of Atlanta) and Walker State Prison (2 hours north of Atlanta) will be March 27-28 and April 17-18 respectively. We need 75–100 volunteers at each Celebration to ensure that as many incarcerated men and their children as possible can participate.

Please stay tuned to this newsletter for more updates to come. Hope you enjoy the list!

·      Help who you can each day. You never know whose life you can change. – Greg

·      Smile as much as you can. It will rub off somewhere. – Greg

·      The truth will set you free. – Greg

·      Doing your homework keeps the teacher happy. – Greg

·      The harder you work, the better your luck gets. – John

·      Stop trying to outdo people’s stories and experiences. – John

·      It’s really not all about you. – John

·      Interesting conversations aren’t going to be about other people. – John

·      The stinkier the cheese, the better it tastes. – John

·      Broken crayons still color. – Erin

·      Only regret what you don’t learn from. – Erin

·      People don’t remember what you say or do as much as how you make them feel. – Marcus

·      All life is balance. Time, money, career, hobbies, family, friends, chores, spirituality, entertainment. When you invest in one, you subtract from the other. – Marcus

·      Sunlight, music, scripture! – Marcus

·      Bad associations spoil useful habits. – Edward

·      Keep playing with a snake and you will get bit. – Edward

·      You can’t get grapes from an apple tree. – Edward

·      I know that naming 100 Things I Know is a pretty tough assignment. – Edward

·      Just because it’s stimulating doesn’t make it productive. – Jacob

·      Marriage takes 10 minutes in court. Divorce takes much longer. – Jacob

·      Just because you read about it, doesn’t mean you know it. – Jaiden

·      No one likes to be someone else’s maid. – Jaiden

·      If you fix something right when you see it, your future self will thank you. – Jaiden

·      There is nothing wrong with saying, “I don’t know.” – Dwight

·      Wind flows around, over, and through obstacles, and there’s a lesson in that. – Dwight

·      To teach is to touch a life. – Dwight

·      If you do it right the first time, you won’t have to do it again. – Kelvin

·      When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. – Kelvin

·      Most of our suffering lies in retrospect or anticipation. – Chesney

·      Choose good and hold fast to it. – Chesney

·      I am done. - Jahmeir

Have a blessed day.

Spencer