Comments on: A Future We Can Change

By: Leslie Srajek

Leslie Srajek — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:15:57 +0000

Just discovered your site and blog and feel awed by the abundant resources, esp. on poetry, which is one of my main loves. Thank you for posting this video–I work in higher ed and see many of the same issues there, but I also have 2 sons in grade school and we struggle with our longing for appropriate, challenging, creative, safe, etc. etc. etc. educational opportunities ALL the time. Thanks again, and come visit me at: heartlandwriting.wordpress.com if you are so inclined. Can’t wait to dive into more of the goodies you’ve offered here!

By: Jan

Jan — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:04:13 +0000

As a parent (even before), I was haunted by the memory of a student at my college who committed suicide. A straight ‘A’ student, he’d gotten a ‘B+’ on one test in one class. I guess he couldn’t live with that reality. I knew, even as a sophomore, the terrible flaw of believing too much in the outer markings of one’s achievements instead of looking at the measure of one’s life on earth.
What happened to letting our children experience childhood? I put that as a priority with my three boys, though I admit I agonized as they approached college. Perhaps I hadn’t pushed hard enough. Perhaps they couldn’t compete with other students who’d spent summers in Third World countries, whose parents had filled every spare moment with high-end activities. Had I been too laid back? I’d worked at enriching their lives with new experiences, encouraging them to do their best without getting caught up in rankings. Had I focused too much on building emotional stability and maturity? Would pushing them to achieve the very top positions in sports or top marks in academics have opened more doors to a better paying future?
In retrospect, I’m content with my less fanatical push. You want to open doors so your children can move in the direction of their dreams. Once they get through that door, they still have to live their lives. What good is the super-achiever whose inner life is empty?
You’ll do just fine with Claire. You have the instincts of a super mom. Those instincts will definitely influence parents around you. I’d love to see us regain the sanity of rearing emotionally healthy children, capable of rising to life’s challenges, resilient to life’s disasters.

By: acm

acm — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:38:48 +0000

Well, Speck has been born into a family of “high achievers” who nevertheless definitely believe that what’s important is to find *your* path, to contribute, to use what you have, but not to let the rat race (or other people’s measures of success) drive you — to leave room for the things that give life value. I hope that won’t be received as a mixed message — that she can find that it’s fun to be smart, to learn, to play, to be receptive to the world and other people, and to not put too much weight on any particular path or outcome. I think that *we* believe that, and live it, at least most of the time, so perhaps we can fight the noise from the rest of the world and be part of the solution too…