Great minds

I'd seen a couple of pencil drawings and wondered which student was the artist. Eventually, I thought I'd figured it out and approached a young man in our Waiting Room one morning. "Yes" he liked to draw and would I like to see more of his work? The next day he brought in a folder full of pencil and ink drawings, painstakingly detailed, almost engineered representations of cars, trucks, trains, the recently imploded Lake Champlain Bridge, and even a few softer landscapes. I was struck by his work, his quiet pride in it, and the obvious pleasure he found in describing his research, intentions, and techniques. He might be working with Stern Center teachers to overcome learning challenges, but he has already discovered and is nurturing a special talent, an important way of seeing, learning, and knowing his world. That is one of our responsibilities as adults, as educators, as fellow citizens even, that we help others recognize, develop, and celebrate their unique talents.