“It is common throughout the history of man that the failure of individuals to respect and recognize the beliefs, culture, and commonality of other human beings leads to, or creates, strife and grief. The inability or unwillingness to understand, also known as ignorance, is a generator of strife and grief.”
Although just a first draft of an essay’s opening, these two sentences by a sophomore boy inspire me. They remind me that the young people with whom we teachers work have deep appreciation for life’s challenges. The job of adults in school communities is to give them chances to express such appreciation in ways that mean something to them and those around them.
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