The works of Pliny The Elder, a Roman author and philosopher, have been altered and translated by many since his death in A.D. 79, but a passage attributed to him in his Natural History Book holds a special place in our collection:
Indeed, what is there that does not appear marvelous when it comes to our knowledge for the first time? How many things, too, are looked upon as quite impossible until they have been actually effected?
We frankly have lost a lot of respect for many of our country’s educational policies and procedures. We have come to realize that many of those people who have taken positions of trust within that system have lost much of that trust. They have forgotten in many cases what they are supposed to be doing, and instead, have taken to trying to alter history or push ideology rather than true education.
But every time we have the opportunity to visit with individuals within the system, we are reminded that we, too, can often paint the entire system with a broad brush. Such is the case with our recent visit to the Hotchkiss K-8 School for their career day. We watched as Principal Carrie Coats, who is not much taller than many of her students, paced up and down in front of them, encouraging them to put the presenters (us) on the spot and to ask questions and listen to what we had to say. We watched as she gently pried open their minds and invited them to accept some new ideas. We wished there were more like her, then admitted there are more like her. We just need to find them and acknowledge them.
Then there were the students who truly did find it marvelous when we explained the possibilities of their futures. We were impressed by their manners and their apparent desire to learn.
We are not naïve enough to suggest that we had a far-reaching impact on every student that sat through the 25-minute sessions, but we are confident that they all absorbed something. We would not be surprised to find one of their names on a by-line in the near future. Other presenters expressed similar sentiments.
We are not overly impressed by the so-called “hope and change” that is being perpetrated by our national leaders, but we are very impressed with some of the young people in our communities. It is with them that true hope resides, and it is the responsibility of each of us to see to it that they are given the opportunity to live in a country where freedom is a way of life, not a part of history.
