Comments on: Tough Stuff

By: anneghormley

anneghormley — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:57:33 +0000

Please don’t be like this guy.

By: Sarah Sears Webel

Sarah Sears Webel — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:49:23 +0000

Sounds like good stuff. Isn’t it sobering how serious some of the questions “kids” have running around in their heads.

Also interesting to see a few of the questions that have to do with things they probably overhear at home - the stuff about “Islams” and music. They really are taking it all in…

By: Lance

Lance — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:20:21 +0000

Good points, Matt. I’m sure lots of our discussions will go the Socratic route. At this point, we’ve developed a pretty sweet rapport … trust is there, and most of the kids are genuinely excited to dive in.

I think I’ll set up something cool … like secretly take them into the furnace room and talk with only the light of a candle. Top secret, Dead Poets style … something that’ll make the conversations resonate for years to come.

By: MattMc3

MattMc3 — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:00:24 +0000

Lance - I have a strong feeling that they know the answers to these questions beneath the surface, and if you are able to ask them pointed questions back they’ll come up with them on their own. I think you ought to try to answer each question with another loaded/leading/thought-provoking, or complimentary question relating to the first. For example, “Why do parents and adults always think they know how we feel?” might lead you to ask them about how they want to respond differently to children when they are older. Then, ask them how they respond when their younger siblings bug them. Or “Do we absolutely need to do every assignment?” leads me to want to ask about whether they think that if you say “yes” infringes on their free-will, or do they still have free-will but the choices they make make have ill consequences. Then again, maybe these questions take you so deep in the pool you drown. GL!

By: Willy Wong Ka

Willy Wong Ka — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:45:42 +0000

Got another one, but I’m not in 6th grade.

Why are there questions that seem to have no good answers?

Are you sure you are up to this? If you find the answers, let us know. Each one would probably make an interesting post by itself.