Here's to Mrs. Hay! The Testimony of a B Student.

I am going off the legal radar with this post.  I think many legal blogs focus on talking about successes of the law firm and educating potential clients about possible legal solutions.  As I said when I began this blog, this blog will not ONLY be about the legal side of things.  With the start of school, I think that most students are less than happy.  However, I hope you share this post with a student that you care about.  Hopefully, it will teach them to look for the small things.

The Fall of 1994.  The first day of school for Carrollton High School.  I was dressed in my newest Abercrombie & Fitch duds.  Notably, I was rocking a braided leather belt that was a prerequisite to coolness during those times.  I just left first period U.S. History and was on my way to American Literature. 

The teacher was Mrs. Hay.  She was a “veteran” having taught both of my parents in high school.  I sat down in my usual classroom location, which was all the way in the back left corner.  Halfway through that first day of American Literature it was apparent that Mrs. Hay and I would not have a rosy relationship.  For the entire first semester of that year, I spent many second periods out in the hallway doing my work or in the assistant principal’s office explaining the craziness-level of that woman.  Of course, I always ended up on the right side of things due to my superior B.S. skills.

A model student…..I was not.  However, looking back on teachers such as Mrs. Hay, I cannot help but be appreciative to them.  You see, Mrs. Hay hated to be questioned.  Naturally, every time she did something that I thought was ineffective, I would question why in the world we had to perform such a task.  I wanted a reason.  She did not want to give such a reason.  Rather, she would just explode and send me out of the classroom.

I had other teachers during high school that had a profound effect on my life.  To Coach Chad Lyons, I still want to trip you in the hallway if I ever see you again, but thank you for teaching me that I did not always have the right answer.  To Coach Bill Garrett, thanks for letting me teach you Algebra II.  To Mrs. Faye Williams, thank you for requiring me to get a parental signature on every sheet of paper that was graded.  This taught me to take responsibility for my own actions.  To Mrs. Jackie Gingrich, thank you for proving to me that trading geometry exams with a fellow classmate (ahem, who is also now an attorney) does not always mean a better grade.  Lastly, thank you to Mrs. Frances Norton for lighting a fire under my butt in 12^th grade.  I still recall you telling me how much potential that I had. 

These are all true stories.  If proof is required, that assistant principal that I spoke of in the third paragraph…….he is my step-father.  He will be more than happy to substantiate these stories and MANY more throughout my esteemed tenure.  Keep your heads high students.  It is a great adventure for which you will not see the benefits for many years to come.

PS To those teachers that I did not mention……I probably couldn’t tell the story PG rated (ahem Senor Burson).

Safety Isn't ONLY for Dummies.......It's For Us

I grew up the oldest of three boys.  That generally meant that I was the one that inflicted pain upon my younger siblings.  Of course, the older they got, they discovered ways to inflict pain on their older brother.  It usually involved kicking where the sun doesn’t shine or asking the same question over and over.  All of us with younger siblings thought at one time or another that little people were put on this Earth to do one thing………..DRIVE US COMPLETELY MAD!

Fast forward many years.  My brothers and I have now started having children of our own.  My first-born, Beckham, is now an 8 year old mirror image of me (God Bless Him).  His uncles and I do what comes naturally with little boys.  We pick on him incessantly.  He is just now discovering escape tactics, many of which were taught by his YouTube obsession with WWE videos.

However, almost 3 years ago to this date, something profoundly bizarre happened in the Parian family.  A little girl was born.  GASP!!  A little over a year after my daughter, Quinn, was born another female Parian graced up with her presence via my little brother and his wife.  We call that little girl creature, Hollis.  All of a sudden estrogen and heartfelt feelings are rampant in our house.

I sat there watching all of these kids last night at our annual “Back to School Dinner.”  You heard over and over, “Quinn, don’t do that.  Hollis get out of there.  Beckham, I am going to slap a knot on your head if…..”  It occurred to me that a parent’s greatest goal for their children is to keep them safe from harm.  Unfortunately, I have seen and been involved in traumas throughout my life where a child’s safety was impeded upon.  Some of those times the child was okay while other times the consequences were tragic. 

As a personal injury lawyer, my main goal is to keep people safe.  While it is usually too late by the time a client calls, I view my role as that of an enabler letting the whole world know that what occurred was wrong and we will hopefully prevent it from happening again.  The massive GM recall you hear about?  Yep, that was started by one family’s goal to keep people safe from the dangers that took their daughter’s life.  Contact The Parian Law Firm, LLC should you suffer injury as a result of someone else’s lack of safety.  I promise to get the word out, and do everything in my power to prevent it from happening again.