Big Mike - II

June 14, 2010

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< p> But it meant nothing; none of these schools taught him anything. He received no &#&elementary education&#& at all during those years. Later it was evident that teachers simply let him pass grades just to get him through the school system. He didn't know his real name, his birthday, or how to read or write properly. < /p> < p> At the age of 16 Michael Oher, was a lonely, shy teenager with a huge body, his surname was "Big Mike". By fate he had a good friend named Steven in whose house he was temporarily sleeping at night. Steven's father was Tony Henderson. < /p> < p> Mr. Henderson, surnamed "Big Tony", had made a promise to his mother before she died. Nobody could imagine how important this promise should be for Mike's life. Tony's mother asked him to enroll her grandson Steven Payne, who was Tony's son, at a "Christian school" and Big Tony decided to do so, having at the same time the idea of taking Michael, as long as he was taking his son Steven. < /p> < p> Apparently when, in the movie, the Briarcrest Christian School's coach first met Michael Oher, playing a little basketball, the boy made a good impression on him. To his eyes Michael was big, strong and incredibly fast. Michael wasn't just huge; he was huge in exactly the right ways. < /p> < p> But Michael made a different impression on Steve Simpson, the principal of Briarcrest Christian School, the boy had a measured I.Q of 80 and Simpson realized he had little possibilities of handling the academic workload. It was evident that he hadn't had any &#&elementary education&#&, how was he going to succeed in &#&high school&#&?. < /p> < p> Steve Simpson had in front of him a boy who spoke too little, with no academic preparation, and who incredibly didn't know basic things almost every children know. He had no idea what the ocean or the sea was, he never received a cent from the tooth fairy, and ignored about her magic existence. He didn't know what a home was. He never had had a bed of his own. < /p> < p> Despite of this, Steve Simpson said years later that he noticed in this first meeting that there was something in Michael which made him a special young boy. He thought that by just being there Michael showed courage. < /p>