p. 252, cain's quiet..
for many introverted kids, the trickiest part of their social lives is the school day.
no one can hear her. no one tries.
the ones they hear: her report doesn't make a lot of sense, but she's so confident and good-natured that it doesn't seem to matter.
after:
maya, for her part, sits curled up at the periphery of the group, writing her name over and over again in her notebook, in big block letters, as if to reassert her identity. at least to herself.
maya is intellectually alive, esp in essay-writing, she's a gifted softball player, she's kind to others, but none of maya's positive attributes were evident that morning.
any parent would be dismayed to think that this was their child's experience of learning, of socializing, and of herself.
the purpose of school should be to prepare kids for the rest of their lives, but too often what kids need to be prepared for is surviving the school day itself.
why do we accept this one-size-fits-all situation as a given when we know perfectlu well tat adults don't organize themselves this way?
ah. keri smith. keep reminding us...
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