Beginnings and endings
Today I met my new mentor class, 24 tiny eleven and twelve year olds, who all looked at me with big bright eyes still teeming with youthful enthusiasm. Last week I said goodbye to my old mentor class, 27, tall, fifteen and sixteen year olds who have no enthusiasm or spark left. The contrast between the two groups was stunning although terrifying might be a better word. Because three years ago those 27 obnoxious browbeaten teenagers were tiny adorable kids filled with life and hope. Where did that drive go? When did that spark die? Is that simply what happens when kids reach puberty? Or is the result of a broken educational system, which is a symptom of a diseased society on the brink of disaster? I know, I know, that all sounds like the start of a dystopian young adult novel, in other words, highly dramatic. But, to be fair, the situation deserves a little consideration. Because how do we account for that change in behaviour? And more importantly, is there anything we can do to turn