By BILL MAXWELL, St. Petersburg Times

When I read two recent articles in the St. Petersburg Times ("Teachers' fears addressed" and "Disrespect can pass as racism in class'') about the trouble that black children are causing in certain Pinellas County schools, I was angry, ashamed and perplexed.

I've seen so many ways that organized religion and religious organizations divide people, even causing conflict between nations, that I'm always surprised and pleased whenever I discover an example of something related to religion that brings people together for the public good.

St. Petersburg police Chief Chuck Harmon is the city's longest-serving police chief in two decades. I spoke to Harmon about recent criticism about his low-key style and other issues.
Q: Explain your law enforcement philosophy and style.

On two different occasions, I was invited to teach an online college journalism course. The first time, I declined without hesitation because as a traditionalist, I believed that face-to-face instruction was more effective than so-called "distance learning." The second time, I accepted because I let a few former colleagues who were teaching online courses talk me into it.

Lalita Booth easily could have allowed life's circumstances to make her a perpetual victim and a failure. Instead, the 28-year-old single mom has defied the odds and become a role model and advocate for poor people.

Like most other literature majors familiar with John Updike, I read many of the pieces in the newspapers and online about the author and his oeuvre since his death last week.

A few months ago, I attended a theater performance at Seminole Community College in Lake Mary, Fla. As I drove onto campus, I saw a car on fire on the other side of a small pond. Black smoke billowed. Looking closer, I realized that I was watching the training of professional firefighters. After graduation, these students would directly serve the public.

In addition to teaching at several community colleges, I have taught at four state universities in two different states and one private, historically black college. At each four-year school, I always was puzzled that I had so many low-income, high-achieving black American students who would have been accepted at one of the Ivies and succeeded there.

When I moved to St. Petersburg in 1994 and began working at the St. Petersburg Times, I quickly found my way to Williams Park. I thought it was a wonderful green space in the middle of the city, a true urban park complete with a band shell and statues and plaques honoring the war dead.

As an adventurous Florida native who has traveled to every part of the state, I'm constantly surprised to discover a beautiful gem I've never visited (or, in some cases, never heard of). Some of us take so much for granted.