Monday, June 22, 2009

Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure if they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes. ~Carl Sandburg

I got to help Ruth grade today - a real treat to read the essays of her ACC students (who are actually advanced high school seniors). They are winningly self disclosing in their essays about messages that have shaped their lives and about criterio on which they select people as desirable to approach. The world has changed and hasn't. I was surprised that the one person who classified people in terms of age didn't talk about wisdom and authority in age, but rather helplessness and avoided people perceived as old. That was so NOT true for me in my teens and twenties - and I don't think for my daughters - so much wisdom in the generations ahead. But grading was fun and James brought the KDZ over to swim, which was nice.

2 comments:

Peggy said...

Fun to read what kids think. Ruth must be a good teacher to set an atmosphere where they feel free to really disclose things they think about. So many of that age are so self conscious in their writing rather than self disclosing.

Mary said...

Interesting to think that high school students are writing about 'messages that have shaped their lives.' They are so YOUNG. LOL. Their lives have so much more shaping ahead of them.

Probably a lot of the people closest to these teens don't really know what these young people think, as sometimes I think kids / anyone feels more free to WRITE to someone not as close than to disclose to someone like parents. Anyway that is my thought.