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like where we live. Six entrances to four buildings converge around a single winding path which acts as a kind of communal courtyard. Sitting in the shade on this sunny afternoon Sarah and I sip homebrew on our steps, Tom and Colleen grill on their porch, Kenny and Anna-Stina walk stuff from their apartment next door to the place they just bought two houses down, Lisa sheds her office garb, and Carol relates some of the frustration of being a first grade teacher: Her six- and seven-year-old students must pass an all-day Writing Assessment Test where they have to meet rigid formal requirements as well as "show voice." "Show voice? Some authors spend their whole lives trying to find a voice," I say. Lip service is given to creativity but the pressure is on from a very young age to conform, meet norms, and strive to be the brightest, shiniest, sharpest-toothed cog in the machine. |
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