Over the course of this last busy week, I have been waking up every morning to find my chalkboard covered in facts about stars, planets, and the universe. I'm not really used to this. Usually, if I want science notes on the board I have to put them there myself. It turns out that this is all the work of one boy here - our newest resident. He is a former street kid and seems to have had little formal schooling. But what he does have is a big interest in learning. Two nights ago, the clouds gave way for a while and we set up the telescope. Mars and Saturn were out, but a thundercloud blocked our view too quickly. So we looked at some big bright stars - Vega, Antares and Arcturus. This boy was there - eager to get his first real look through a telescope. Yesterday, he approached me and said, "I read in a book that Jupiter rotates once every 10 hours. Is that true?" I realized that I wasn't sure...it seemed too fast. But, he was right and he added this to his board facts early the next morning, before I was even awake.
As a teacher I'm used to forcing the issue. Too often I give up on inspiring and resort to some sort of thinly-veiled threat of failure. But when a boy who spent a very long time sleeping on sidewalks in the marketplace greets me every morning with his desire to learn all he can, I have to recognize that I may have stumbled upon sacred ground. A burning bush would be less surprising than this manifestation of hope and wonder from a kid who should be concerned only with food and shelter. Despite my best efforts, it's hard to be cynical here.
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