Imparare a volare

Lucia, sei morta oggi nove anni fa. 
Ma per me sei ancora viva e luminosa.
Mi ricordo bene quando un giorno in spiaggia a Lacona, bloccata sulla tua sedia a sdraio rossa scomodissima, hai alzato lo sguardo al cielo e, seguendo due gabbiani che scomparivano nel sole, mi hai detto: "che bello sarebbe poter volare...". 
Hai usato proprio queste parole.
Io seduta li' accanto a te non ho capito: che tu non eri nata per morire ma per volare. E anche io con te.
La verita, Lucia, e' che tu alla fine sei riuscita volare, anche se (in)ferma. E io oggi, bloccata sulla mia poltrona comodissima, ogni giorno alzo lo sguardo al cielo e vedo te e penso: "sto imparando a volare".

Race to Nowhere

Few days ago, in the gymnasium of a local high school in my neighborhood, I attended the screening of “Race to Nowhere”, a documentary about a new controversial aspect of the education system in the United States: the growing pressure that today's students face to achieve excellence in their school and after-school life. “Race to nowhere” focuses on teenagers in high schools, but the race idea applies to young children as well: the entire American public school system is described as a mechanism for producing and selecting top-performing students who can win the competition against their peers and be accepted to the best colleges, get hired for the best jobs, maximize their earning potential and live happily ever after.

First-time Director Vicki H. Abeles points the finger at public programs like “No Child left Behind” by the Bush’s administration, and “Race to the Top”, the primary educational initiative of President Obama. These programs have been designed to spur education reform through rigorous criteria for teachers training and common academic standards for students. In particular, these programs require states to develop assessments in specific skills for all students in certain grades if those states are to receive federal funding for schools.

Based on the belief that setting standards and establishing measurable goals can improve students’ individual outcomes, the standards-based education reform has resulted in the shift of focus from “learning” to “learning how to score well in standardized tests”. Similarly, the goal of high schools has become to prepare for college applications rather than prepare for college itself. The competition is fierce and students need to achieve so much in their class and after-class activities, that some end up cheating or using drugs.