Nationality American Education BA; MA; | Name Lawrence Paros Role Author | |
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Born February 21, 1934 (age 90) ( 1934-02-21 ) Occupation Writer, Educator, Filmmaker Books Bawdy language, The erotic tongue, Smash caps, The great American cliché | ||
Lawrence Paros (born 21 February 1934) is an author and high school teacher, best known for his work in alternative education.
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Biography
Paros was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1934. He received a B.A. in History and Political Science at University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. In 1958, Paros received an M.A. in American Diplomatic History and Russian Studies at Yale University.
Career
Paros taught high school in many areas before becoming the chairman of the History Department at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven, CT. While there, he developed an area-wide program that focused on contemporary issues for high school students. This program was the basis of a featured article in the Yale Alumni Magazine, which described the program and its genesis.
Paros was then appointed the director of the Yale Summer High School, a project to identify, recruit and educate talented youths living in poverty nationwide. After forty years, he traveled the country interviewing former students and school staff members. His accomplishments are shown in a film called Walk Right In.
The film was screened at more than a dozen venues, including the Tacoma Film Festival, International Black Film Festival of Nashville, Doc Miami International Film Festival and Show Me Social Justice International Film Festival. It was also displayed at several dozen colleges and universities, including the University of WA and their TV show, Backstory. and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. It currently exists online at "Culture Unplugged".
Alternative Education
In Providence, R.I., he created and directed two experimental schools—The Alternate Learning Project (ALP) and School One.
Central to the schools’ philosophy was an effort to blur and ultimately eradicate the artificial distinction between learning and life. In keeping with the philosophy of "Project-Based Learning," all students held site-placements in the community.
The school was the subject of Hilda Calabro's Diversity or Conformity in the American High School.
Written and Online Work
Paros’ published works ranging from education and etymology to children’s books. His published works include The Black and the Blue: The Story of the Other Yale, The Great American Cliché, The Erotic Tongue (Madrona and Henry Holt and Company), Bawdy Language (Kvetch Press) and Smashcaps, (Avon (publishers)).
His column, A Word with You, was available in the early days of the internet.
The columns later served as the basis of a two volume work: A Word with You America.
Bawdy Language is an updated, unexpurgated, expanded, and illustrated version of The Erotic Tongue.
Ancillary Activity
Paros has been an op-ed page columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a commentator on KUOW-FM, the NPR affiliate in Seattle. His most recent works include three films: The Journey, the story of an immigrant’s trek to America, Walk Right In, the story of the Yale Summer High School, and a short animated film, "Bawdy: The Movie."