Glassy Eyed No More

Joanne Jacobs has a compelling piece in the Christian Science Monitor on watching the transformation of a ninth grade underachiever from a blank looking "exotic doll" to a real student at the charter school where she volunteers.

Then one day, Selma asked me a question, listened to the answer, and set to work. No more questions. No more helpless act.

And, I noticed, less makeup. (The use of makeup among ninth-grade girls is inversely correlated to their dedication to schoolwork.)

Something had happened. From that day forward, Selma did her own work. She was a student.