The Point
Singer and songwriter Harry Nilsson observed in his 1971 album “The Point” that “a point in every direction is no point at all" and "if everyone has a point, then I must have one too.” I had the pleasure of judging several students a few weeks ago as part of a district wide scholarship competition in written essays and face to face interviews. While the questions were pretty basic (what do you like and dislike about school, what’s your favorite subject) some of the answers were not. I remembered an old Art Linkletter show called “Kids Say The Darndest Things” and, after the interviews, decided that not only was Art right, but that one viewpoint always missing from the “how can we improve schools” debate was that of the students. They are, after all, the subjects and the central focus of the debate on school improvement, and their contributions could add a perspective not usually considered. Their job for now is to be students. Their daily work experiences make