When Rick Lydon decides to walk away from his successful management career to become a teacher, it’s on his terms; he thinks he has it all figured out. But at an alternative school for at-risk youth, Rick faces a mid-life game-changer. He is challenged by a sad twelve-year-old not to “walk out like everyone else.”
At times hysterical, at times heart wrenching, Rick vividly leads us in and out of the desperate lives of his students, and many of the challenges facing educators today. Rick’s own story of personal growth and recovery from adversity underlies all the vignettes he shares about his students, and serves as a guidepost for anyone looking to overcome life’s many obstacles.
Classrooms today are filled with learners struggling to navigate the established educational system for a variety of reasons. Poverty, neglect, dysfunctional families, substance abuse and mental illness all play a part. These students are at risk not only of dropping out of school, but out of society as well. Rick’s honest and insightful storytelling points out the steep price we all pay for this neglect and victimization of our young people.
Teachers, parents, and social workers are all too familiar with the dangers and distractions threatening so many of our young people today. But there is a universal message In the Roundest of Places that will resonate with all people who struggle to overcome life’s challenges, regardless of age or occupation. Like Rick, at any moment we too can find ourselves In the Roundest of Places, those places where life gets tough and can wear away our most basic beliefs. Ultimately, the connections that we share will guide us on our own path to discovery, and help us to become the person we are meant to become.
Teachers, parents, and social workers are all too familiar with the dangers and distractions threatening so many of our young people today. But there is a universal message In the Roundest of Places that will resonate with all people who struggle to overcome life’s challenges, regardless of age or occupation. Like Rick, at any moment we too can find ourselves In the Roundest of Places, those places where life gets tough and can wear away our most basic beliefs. Ultimately, the connections that we share will guide us on our own path to discovery, and help us to become the person we are meant to become.