Lawrence Paros (born 21 February 1934) is an author and high school teacher, best known for his work in alternative education.

Lawrence Paros
Lawrence Paros Photo
Born (1934-02-21) February 21, 1934 (age 90)
OccupationWriter, educator, filmmaker
LanguageEnglish
EducationBA; MA;
Alma materUniversity of MA. Amherst; Yale University

Biography edit

Paros was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1934. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science at University of Massachusetts in Amherst. In 1958, Paros received a Master of Arts in American Diplomatic History and Russian Studies at Yale University.[citation needed]

Career edit

Paros taught high school in several places before becoming the chair of the History Department at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven, Connecticut. While there, he developed an area-wide program on contemporary issues for high school students, which was described in a featured article in the Yale Alumni Magazine.[1]

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. 40 years later, he interviewed former students and staff members of the project, for a documentary film entitled Walk Right In,[2][3] which was screened at a number of film festivals and educational facilities.[4]

Alternative education edit

In Providence, Rhode Island, Paros established and directed two experimental schools: the Alternate Learning Project (ALP)[5] and School One. The school was the subject of Hilda Calabro's Diversity or Conformity in the American High School.[6]

Written and online work edit

Paros has published works include Dancing on the Contradictions, a book about transformation in schools. His other published works include The Black and the Blue: The Story of the Other Yale, The Great American Cliché,[7] The Erotic Tongue (Madrona and Henry Holt and Company),[8] Bawdy Language (Kvetch Press),[9] and Smashcaps (Avon).

His column, A Word with You,[10] written in the early days of the internet, later served as the basis of a two volume work: A Word with You America.

Paros has also been an op-ed page columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a commentator on KUOW-FM 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."

Bibliography edit

Non-fiction edit

  • The Great American Cliché (Workman,1976),
  • The Erotic Tongue (Madrona, Henry Holt,1984),
  • Smashcaps (Avon,1995),
  • A Word with you America (Kvetch Press,1999),
  • Bawdy Language (Kvetch Press,2003),
  • Dancing on the Contradictions (PP Press,2019),

Film/video edit

  • The Journey
  • Walk Right In
  • Bawdy: The Movie

References edit

  1. ^ "Perspectives on the World by Dane Archer and Alberto Lau". Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Hope of '60s has lesson for today by Jerry Large". Retrieved 7 February 2008.
  3. ^ "Open doors, and you'll open minds by Jerry Large, Seattle Times". Retrieved 23 April 2009.
  4. ^ "Walk Right In, backstory UW". Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  5. ^ The Alternate Learning Project (ALP) by Charles B. Kenyon, Overview of a Model High School in Providence, Rhode Island. 1978-11-30. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  6. ^ Calabro, Hilda (1972). "Diversity or Conformity in the American High School by Hilda Calabro, University of NC". The High School Journal. 56 (3): 150–153. JSTOR 40365767.
  7. ^ "The Great American Cliché Review, The Nashua Telegraph, by John Shrurr". Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Erotic Tongue by Mike Henderson, Everett Herald". Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  9. ^ Parvaz, D (20 August 2003). "'Bawdy Language' makes a case". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  10. ^ "A Word With You by Peter Lewis, Seattle Times". Retrieved 19 May 2015.