sat by two young girls from the neighborhood by the church today. the younger one who is about 4 was asking her 10-year old sister to read to her. the sister read slowly, syllable by syllable. i thought as i looked at them that they will grow up to be beautiful girls and hoped they would know things like math and english, and how to use a computer. some people at the church were starting an after-school program for kids in the area. i sometimes think about helping out, but i get so sad and frustrated thinking about inequality sometimes that i tip myself over into apathy.
after that, i had lunch with a friend's 1-year-old for the first time. i liked watching a child that hasn't quite learned how to smile yet. still, she was quite the charmer with her frequent squints and teeth-baring. such a social little girl--the kind that i wasn't.
feeling ridiculously on edge these days. don't know if it's all the deadlines and the intense hourly introspection. really having to think about what i want out of the next 5-10 years. i never thought i'd have to think about it, but if i don't, i'll find that time goes by and i still won't know what i want. and it's where i don't think i want to be.
i keep falling into things and i don't know if i can keep relying on that forever.
Showing posts with label interactions with young people. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interactions with young people. Show all posts
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
youngling
i came across a young girl at the library
i, with a huge stack of books, and the girl, doing her math homework,
no chair, she was standing, pacing almost.
she had written across her worksheet
BORING
i asked her, "what's boring?"
"this worksheet! urgh," she replied.
"what do you like to do?" i inquired.
"i like to read," she said, and looked down slightly.
"i love to read," i said, "and write."
i showed her my sketchbook.
as i walked away i realized that i should go back and encourage her to do math as well,
so i walked back,
went up to her, and said, "you'll need some math in life, but i didn't like math either. maybe you should get a journal to write in during math class."
i walked away.
later when i was looking through the stacks, i heard shuffling behind me
and a voice as it ran away, "oh, there she is!"
--a'misa
i, with a huge stack of books, and the girl, doing her math homework,
no chair, she was standing, pacing almost.
she had written across her worksheet
BORING
i asked her, "what's boring?"
"this worksheet! urgh," she replied.
"what do you like to do?" i inquired.
"i like to read," she said, and looked down slightly.
"i love to read," i said, "and write."
i showed her my sketchbook.
as i walked away i realized that i should go back and encourage her to do math as well,
so i walked back,
went up to her, and said, "you'll need some math in life, but i didn't like math either. maybe you should get a journal to write in during math class."
i walked away.
later when i was looking through the stacks, i heard shuffling behind me
and a voice as it ran away, "oh, there she is!"
--a'misa
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