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Berhan Duncan's avatar

I spent this afternoon with a list of incoming 9th grade students. Assigning new homerooms is a summer tradition I have come to somewhat enjoy for a little over a decade now. Thinking of their older siblings sometimes, and sometimes imagining what new connections they will form based on these groups. It's not for everyone; it's not exciting work. But for the first time I considered today that there may be people who actually really not only do not love kids, but also think of them as not important and even dispensable. And that have me a real chill. Thank you Joan for not ending your stack with that thought. Oy!

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So Already by Joan Soble's avatar

Hi, Berhan--For sure there are those out there who neither love nor value children--how they get that way, I don't know, but I've been thinking about it a lot as I've been reading a lot of novels recently that have main characters who were either neglected, abandoned, or both. These books suggest that some who abandon/neglect know that they don't value or love children and actually see it as something wrong or off about themselves; others abandon/neglect with a kind of gleeful self-assertion of their right to be themselves and devalue others, even their own children. I still believe these folks are outnumbered by those who love or care about children, or who love or care about something beyond themselves. How lucky those ninth-graders are that you're in your office imagining their ninth-grade lives and doing your part to make sure their experiences are positive as they make that intimidating transition from middle school to high school!

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