Mr. Cuddemi Part 1

As classes for the Spring semester at Colorado State University dwindled to a halt last week, the class I taught for decided to pay a visit to Kinard Junior High School for a meeting with their enthusiastic and well-traveled Principal, Joe Cuddemi. He began by telling us about the time he spent teaching on a Native American reservation in Montana twenty or thirty years ago. The reservation was still very much racist towards the white man, but Cuddemi had been brought in to teach English and figured it came with the territory. The chief of the reservation was named "Matt" and made it a point of not speaking to the white man and rumor even had it that "Matt" would kill the white man if he would show his face. Well, Mr. Cuddemi remained passionate about teaching and worked to the best of his abilities to help the Native American people. It was difficult for Mr. Cuddemi to find comfort in this environment, but he would try to play basketball or hike in the mountains with his students in an attempt to bridge the racial barriers that separated them. Well, one day, one of Mr. Cuddemi's students approached and told him: 'Matt would like to speak with you.' Mr. Cuddemi was filled with fear as he knew how the Native American chief felt towards the white man, but he swallowed his fear and sought out the reservation leader. Upon finding him, "Matt" said: 'Do you have faith white boy?' Mr. Cuddemi replied: 'Excuse me?' "Matt": 'Do you have faith?' Mr. Cuddemi thought for a moment and answered: 'Faith in what?' The Native American leader had his cousin "Leon" with him, and at this point, told his family member to grab the horse whips and a pail of water. 'Come.' "Matt" instructed Mr. Cuddemi and proceeded to lead him to a small teepee. They entered, "Leon" placed the two horse whips in the dirt and left the pail of water next to his chief. "Leon" left once again, retrieved stones that were white from being in intense heat, and placed the rocks between the Native American leader and Mr. Cuddemi. 'Tell me white boy, do you have faith?' "Matt" repeated as he put a horse whip in each hand, dipping the ends in the pail of water. 'I'm not sure what you're asking me.' Mr. Cuddemi responded. In a quick and somewhat violent fashion, "Matt" attacked the white-hot stones with the horse whips and the teepee filled with steam. They sat there for a long time, Mr. Cuddemi became weak and expressed to the reservation leader that he may faint. Once again, "Matt" asked Mr. Cuddemi if he had faith. This time, Mr. Cuddemi didn't respond as he began to wobble and feel his body giving way. 'Come.' "Matt" summoned his foreign guest outside of the teepee. Mr. Cuddemi crawled out of the steam and held himself up by a pair of trembling forearms. "Matt" leaned down next to Mr. Cuddemi's face and said: 'Look there. Do you see the horses on the horizon?' Mr. Cuddemi raised his head and looked to where the sun was setting. 'Yes. I see the horses.' He answered. 'Do you see the horse that stands taller than the rest. The horse that refuses to bow before his brothers?' Mr. Cuddemi once again scanned the horizon and after a moment told the Native American chief that he did, in fact, see the horse that stood taller than its brothers. "Matt" smiled, clapped Mr. Cuddemi on the back in an affectionate way, and said: 'Then today my white brother, you have faith.' It was at this moment - Mr. Cuddemi claims - that he learned what teaching was really about. It was about faith and understanding. Passion and a conquering of fear. From this point forward, Mr. Cuddemi vowed to never forget the lessons by which "Matt" and he exchanged during the late afternoon on a brilliant and beautiful Montanta reservation.