Mario Nunez sent me an article from Maclean's Sept. 10 '07 about whether "grades really matter." An interesting quote from the article is: "former "A" students teach "B" students to work for "C" students." So you can probably guess that the article is about the kinds of "C" students that rise to the top positions in today's society despite lackluster performance in school and marginal basic intelligence. Of course our commander in chief, George W. Bush, a "C" student at best was chosen (though probably not by the electorate) for his social skills rather than intelligence and grasp of the issues and his disastrous presidency shows a lack of basic competence.

Of course the point is that by focusing American education on grades and test scores we are doing exactly the wrong thing and sending the wrong message to our children. More often success is not earned through knowledge alone, but by the strength of three qualities: curiosity, ambition, and the social skills that allow one to work effectively with others.

Today I am cleaning in my office, putting things away and organizing. My home and studio will be visited by a bus load of art enthusiasts in February, and I don't want things to look too big a mess. This morning the Clear Spring School 9th and 10th grades students made mineral collection boxes, each to hold 32 rock, mineral and fossil samples they will collect during field trips in Arkansas. I'll show photos of the finished boxes next week.