The way home

Many of you may have read the description, widely circulated last week, of the howling chaos that is a class full of black kids in a failed school.  Without ever saying so explicitly, the author seemed to attribute the problem to race, though maybe he really was referring to a subculture, or wasn't trying to think carefully about the difference.

Anyway, it was a depressing piece.  Today at Maggie's Farm they posted another perspective on schoolchildren from an imperiled culture who were doing well in a charter school.  The author also described the experience of similar kids in an Outward Bound program:

Of course, taking 16 kids, many of whom came from troubled homes and whose lives were mostly confined to a few blocks in Brooklyn, into the woods for six weeks produced its share of drama.  Outward Bound crews go through a normal process that starts with a certain formality and descends into homesickness, alienation, irritation, and conflict, before people adapt and bond and shoulder their responsibilities and really get into it, and this course was no exception.  After a few days, one girl decided “this is b***s***” and set out to walk home – about 200 miles.  An instructor walked with her, mile after mile, until she got tired and agreed to go back.  She went on to complete the course, and cried at the graduation because she had to leave her new “family.”

That's my image of a guardian angel.  He won't force you to do what's best, but he'll follow you into hell and be ready to lead you back when you see your mistake.