Sometimes my high school students surprise me with their wit, their sweetness, or their clarity of insight.
Sometimes they completely take my breath away.
The following lines are from an 18-year-old foreign exchange student from Korea. I was reading through a stack of rather boring essays, and these words shone through the dullness like glittering diamonds.
“Life is like a Venn diagram. One circle is our dreams, the beautiful things that we desire and imagine. The other circle is real life, which can be very harsh and cold. The place where they overlap is called hope.”
Sometimes we adults think that we hold the monopoly on wisdom. Right now, throughout the OCCUPY Movement, our young people are telling us that we, adults, have gone astray in running things.
Very true. It astounds me how much clarity youth can have. This is why I love teaching so much. Thanks for reading the post!
Great thoughts! High school students can be brilliant when we teachers step out of the way.
Thank you! I agree, although I like to think that I play a part in their development as writers and as people. I’m enjoying reading your blog as well. Thanks for stopping by.
Wow! That is absolutely beautiful! Reading student writing is definitely the best part of teaching… it’s amazing the things that we learn from them! I just found your blog today and am enjoying reading through your posts. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you very much, Katherine! While I’m not a fan of grading, I do often enjoy reading what my students create. I’m glad that you are enjoying my blog!