This morning we went down to a theatre to see a performance of monologues sponsored by Philadelphia Young Playwrights. Taliya Carter, one of our amazing students, had submitted an entry that was selected as a winner along with seventeen others.

There was a power in this performance. One, the willingness, really the courage, of students to grapple with complex, challenging events and emotions was on full display. Their creativity and thoughtfulness was truly amazing.

There was also power in the theatre, in the authenticity of the production, in the fact that this work flowed out of the hard work of high school students but it was staged in such a professional way.

All that to say I got to have this conversation with a student as we walked back to the subway:

“Do you think I could do that?”

That’s why we do this. We want students to see the world and to see a vision of the world and to see if they couldn’t create something themselves. If you’re asking that question of yourself, you’re probably going to be okay. If you’re in a school where kids are asking this question, your school is going in the right direction.