Ruby LaRocca—the winner of our high school essay contest—urges her generation to read old books, memorize poems, and invite senior citizens to parties.
Wonderful, and yes, sign her up as a regular contributor! My favorite, and one I hope to emulate (at least somewhat) is to do away with the “machine for feeling bad”. Thoroughly enjoyed her essay! My corps of girlfriends, we all thoroughly enjoy “The Free Press”, and this essay is just one more reason why. Thank you!
I loved this and shared it with so many friends and family. I was moved to tears with the final line, “I promise your heart will stop sinking.” What an absolute gift.
As a near-retirement university professor who has been engaged in bringing many students to the intellectual trough, I am worn out by students at university who do not read and have no intellectual curiosity about, well, anything. I have asked them directly - What are you curious about intellectually? - and nearly always I am faced with the slack-jawed teenager she describes. As the old folk song went: "Where have all the flowers gone?" I miss the bouquet that I used to see.
This young woman is a vibrant, bright, and inspiring flower. Thank you, Ruby LaRocca. You made my upcoming last semester. You will not be there, but know that I will be teaching for you.
Goodness there was a lot of wisdom shared in this teen’s essay. Her quote: “ Sure, the phone is a good way for people to get hold of you—just like smearing yourself with blood before you go swimming in shark-infested waters is a good way for sharks to reach you. “ …LOL. She is one of the brave souls who is doing what we know we should but don’t have the courage and self-discipline to do. Congratulations on her well deserved win!
As a 68-year-old recently retired businessman who is College Educated and if I may so reasonably well read, I had to consult the dictionary as I often do to confirm my understanding of the word "frisson". What an extraordinary young woman. Bravo!
Wow! I'm glad to know there are still young people with both this level of sensibility and the command of the language to express it. She would seem to have virtually unlimited options for her future.
“Children make large demands upon us. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests. ‘Thou hast set my feet in a large room,’ should be the glad cry of every intelligent soul. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking—the strain would be too great—but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest” -Charlotte Mason, School Education
I would really like to stop empowering children to lead us. The newspapers/media laid off all of the seasoned writers (also known as people having knowledge and experience that when combined with reason and patience adds up to wisdom) and hired a bunch of children with NO experience but who KNOW EVERYTHING who now have high jacked our information input to be what THEY deem we should digest. Let's put the brakes on this and let the children be children. Let them get a little, just a little, life experience to go with all that they (think) know before we bow at their feet and worship. Please.
and Let There Be Hope!
As a Latin scholar I can confirm that Ruby's having translated 500 lines of Propertius at her age proclaims her genius.
Wonderful, and yes, sign her up as a regular contributor! My favorite, and one I hope to emulate (at least somewhat) is to do away with the “machine for feeling bad”. Thoroughly enjoyed her essay! My corps of girlfriends, we all thoroughly enjoy “The Free Press”, and this essay is just one more reason why. Thank you!
I loved this and shared it with so many friends and family. I was moved to tears with the final line, “I promise your heart will stop sinking.” What an absolute gift.
As a near-retirement university professor who has been engaged in bringing many students to the intellectual trough, I am worn out by students at university who do not read and have no intellectual curiosity about, well, anything. I have asked them directly - What are you curious about intellectually? - and nearly always I am faced with the slack-jawed teenager she describes. As the old folk song went: "Where have all the flowers gone?" I miss the bouquet that I used to see.
This young woman is a vibrant, bright, and inspiring flower. Thank you, Ruby LaRocca. You made my upcoming last semester. You will not be there, but know that I will be teaching for you.
Goodness there was a lot of wisdom shared in this teen’s essay. Her quote: “ Sure, the phone is a good way for people to get hold of you—just like smearing yourself with blood before you go swimming in shark-infested waters is a good way for sharks to reach you. “ …LOL. She is one of the brave souls who is doing what we know we should but don’t have the courage and self-discipline to do. Congratulations on her well deserved win!
As a 68-year-old recently retired businessman who is College Educated and if I may so reasonably well read, I had to consult the dictionary as I often do to confirm my understanding of the word "frisson". What an extraordinary young woman. Bravo!
This is brilliant. I missed it the first go around. Thanks so much for "reprinting." I hope Ruby has a job waiting for her at TFP!
How wise, beautiful, rare, and hopeful a voice.
Wow, what a sweet, bright, amazing young lady. She makes me want to be a teacher.
Maybe she should be the president of Harvard?
I want to be invited to her next party.
Wow! I'm glad to know there are still young people with both this level of sensibility and the command of the language to express it. She would seem to have virtually unlimited options for her future.
The Classical Learning Test (CLT) is designed for students like this, FYI. Nellie really got under my skin comparing it to Bible quizzing!
“Children make large demands upon us. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests. ‘Thou hast set my feet in a large room,’ should be the glad cry of every intelligent soul. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking—the strain would be too great—but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest” -Charlotte Mason, School Education
I would really like to stop empowering children to lead us. The newspapers/media laid off all of the seasoned writers (also known as people having knowledge and experience that when combined with reason and patience adds up to wisdom) and hired a bunch of children with NO experience but who KNOW EVERYTHING who now have high jacked our information input to be what THEY deem we should digest. Let's put the brakes on this and let the children be children. Let them get a little, just a little, life experience to go with all that they (think) know before we bow at their feet and worship. Please.