San Francisco Educators Hail Jimi Hendrix As Role Model for Teachers

Is the San Francisco school district in a purple haze?

Because they have chosen one unusual role model to grace the cover of their new education guide, and some residents are questioning whether the decision is a good message to send to the city's youth.

On the cover of the new district guidebook – aimed at changing the educational “experiences for every child in each of our schools” – is a portrait of 1960s rock legend Jimi Hendrix, known as much for his fatal drug habit as his revolutionary take on rock music.

The district's manifesto asks readers to remember “the first time you heard Jimi Hendrix,” before proclaiming “our plan is as transformational now as his music was then," according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

But the image of Hendrix - who didn't make it through high school - is not limited to the cover. Indeed, Hendrix's face appears on nearly every page and the manual, which also comes with a Hendrix poster and canvas tote, all distributed to hundreds of administrators in Superintendent Carlos Garcia’s district.

Garcia told the Chronicle that he was simply trying to “revolutionize” the district and felt comfortable with Hendrix’s controversial image because “Hey, we’re in San Francisco.”

But not all administrators feel the same.

One concerned “liberal hippie educator” in the district – who went unnamed for fear of retaliation – told the Chronicle, “I find the choice of Hendrix as inspiration to be used in an educational setting rather strange and out of touch.”

Born in 1942, Hendrix rose to fame after delighting audiences with an innovative, experimental sound and his remarkable skill as a guitarist. His shows often included outrageous stunts such as playing the guitar with his teeth or lighting it on fire.

He enjoyed short-lived but significant success until his untimely death at the age of 27 whe he died after choking on his own vomit after a drug overdose.