Scrubbing the pizza dough pans

“Refuse to let yourself get excessively out of sorts before you decide to address your lack of discipline.” Dr. BLR

 

Children are always trying to find things that interest them as they grow up. Oftentimes, they look to peers to see what’s either fashionable or fun to get involved in. This curiosity never escaped me, but only for a short time. 

I knew from age thirteen that I enjoyed making money, so I didn’t have to ask my mother, a single mom. My first job, at a car wash in Jersey City, showed me what discipline can do for a young man living in an inner city. Washing cars taught me I had what it took to venture out and find my own way. This experience led me to the front door of Napoli’s Pizzeria, where I begged three immigrant men to hire me.

After a cursory glance, I was told that if I passed their initial test, the job would be mine. The test involved scrubbing about 150 flour-coated pizza pans. I accepted the challenge, knowing that whatever they told me to do, I would complete it to their satisfaction. I finished the job in about a week because the pans were more difficult than I had expected. Now, you might ask, why the hell am I reminiscing about my youth? Okay, I will tell you. 

I often have deep conversations with many of my students about a wide range of topics. Oftentimes, they just need a compassionate ear and a sounding board. However, a few students need guidance because they feel lost. I sit back, listen, and do my best to provide sound advice, but I can see that some just don’t get it. Truth be told, I didn’t either at that age. I ask probing questions that elicit telling responses. I must always keep in mind that we come from different generations, and what worked for me may not apply to them. Again, I listen and don’t judge… well, maybe a bit. 

What I usually come away with is that some of them lack discipline, as reflected in the title of this essay and in what that one experience taught me at a young age. I can never repay my former bosses for allowing me to prove myself and for what scrubbing pizza pans did for my confidence and discipline later in my life. I thanked them many years later. 

The world is different. I get it. Technology has captured their attention and locked them into video games and other social media platforms. Many young people don’t want to get their hands dirty or do manual labor. I see this when it snows. I don’t see young people knocking on doors to shovel sidewalks for older people like me with back issues and/or other physical ailments. So much money is left on the table while they want to score points in some useless game that will be obsolete in a few years. No judgment. Just an observation. Wait! Hell no. I am judging them.

Discipline will take them far, not only in their jobs but also in their education and, particularly, in their lives. No one will give them anything, and the world is not forgiving. They must stand out through the discipline they’ve learned, whether by experience or osmosis. Scrubbing pizza pans was my catalyst. I just hope they latch onto theirs.

As a father, educator, author, poet, and mentor, I have tried to leave a lasting impression on those who have sat in my classrooms over the past 26 years, as well as on those I encountered in the hallway, so I had the chance to meet them. The stories, whether serious or comical, that I shared were my way of letting them know that I believe in them. Their success is mine, and I will cherish it.