Blind Side From The Story - Lessons Learned

Homelessness is a journey, not a destination. Michael Oher was born Michael Jerome Williams, Jr. on May 28, 1986.  There is not much known of Michael’s early childhood because he prefers not to talk about it.  It is known that he, and 12 other siblings, was raised by his mother, Denise Oher who struggled with drug addiction and alcohol.  His biological father was murdered when he was young so Michael has little memory of him.

According to Michael’s earliest recollections, since there are very few people to remember what his life was like when he was a child, Michael’s memory is the only record.  He remembers sleeping on the porch and asking neighbors for food to eat when he was very young.

The NFL Draft Weekend April 2009, lots of college football players lived their dreams and accomplishes the impossible. NFL Commissioner:  The New England Patriots have traded the twenty third pick to the Baltimore Ravens and with the 23rd pick in the 2009 NFL draft, the Baltimore Ravens select Michael Oher. On July 30, 2009 he signed a 5-year, $13.8 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

Everyone has a learning potential. For starters, the fact that Michael Oher was in school at all was a miracle. He possessed an IQ of 80, and a cumulative grade point average of 0.6. He received little constructive attention during his formative years. He repeated both first grade and second grade, and attended eleven different schools during his first nine years as a student. He also alternated between time spent in various foster homes and periods with no fixed address until he was sixteen years old. Basically, he was homeless.

Tony Henderson took his son and Michael Oher to apply for admission to a private school, Briarcrest Christian School.  Oher was staying with Mr. Henderson temporarily. The school coach was interested in Oher, but the school’s administrator did not think him educationally capable. He did get admitted through a home-study program.

According to the movie based on the book by Michael Lewis, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy had a son and daughter attending Briarcrest.  Oher moved in with the Tuohys and got him a tutor.  The tutor worked with him approximately 20 hours a week. Michael’s grade point average went from 0.6 to 2.52.

After receiving scholarship offers from the University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University, the University of Alabama, and the University of South Carolina, among others, Oher ultimately decided to attend the University of Mississippi, the alma mater of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy.

Tony Henderson took his son and Michael Oher to apply for admission to a private school, Briarcrest Christian School. Oher was staying with Mr. Henderson temporarily. The school coach was interested in Oher, but the school’s administrator did not think him educationally capable. He did get admitted through a home-study program.

According to the movie based on the book by Michael Lewis, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy had a son and daughter attending Briarcrest. Oher moved in with the Tuohys and got him a tutor. The tutor worked with him approximately 20 hours a week. Michael’s grade point average went from 0.6 to 2.52.

After receiving scholarship offers from the University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University, the University of Alabama, and the University of South Carolina, among others, Oher ultimately decided to attend the University of Mississippi, the alma mater of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy.

Adoption in the United States still occurs at nearly three times those of its peers although the number of children awaiting adoption has held steady in recent years, hovering between 133,000 to 129,000 during the period 2002 to 2006, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Trends in Foster Care and Adoption. Many people open to adoption want infants, and are willing to go outside the United States to adopt. Like Michael, there are many older children in need of a home. Given an opportunity, many of the children could have an abundant fruitful future.

Sean Tuohy is an American broadcast commentator for the NBA team, the Memphis Grizzlies. He played college basketball at the University of Mississippi in the early 1980s. Tuohy has experience as an analyst for radio broadcasts at Ole Miss, and national broadcasts for Westwood One and CBS radio. Sean Tuohy owns more than 70 fast food franchises including Taco Bell and Long John Silver's.

Leigh Anne Roberts Tuohy is an American interior decorator and graduate of the University of Mississippi. The Tuohys helped to create one of the fastest-growing evangelical churches in Memphis, the Grace Evangelical Church. They became the adoptive parents of Michael Oher when he was in high school. They took a chance on an older child with problems, issues and obstacles. Look how far Michael went!

The most important of all the lessons was the one Without Prejudice.  A white couple took in an Afro-American boy into their home. Many other people have taken into their homes children and adult of other races, cultures and ethnic groups, but few get such recognition.  People quietly do their part in changing the world. They look in the mirror and know it starts with them – then they make the world a better place.