I Usually Write About Ordinary People And

God Gives Us Humans Everything We Need To Flourish, But He's Not The One Who's Supposed To Divvy Up The Loot. That Charge Was Laid Upon Us

Most Teachers Have Little Control Over School Policy Or Curriculum Or Choice Of Texts Or Special Placement Of Students, But Most Have A Great Deal Of Autonomy Inside The Classroom. To A Degree Shared By Only A Few Other Occupations, Such As Police Work, Public Education Rests Precariously On The Skill And Virtue Of The People At The Bottom Of The Institutional Pyramid.

The Hardest Thing Was Learning To Write. I Was 13, And The Only Writing I Had Done Was For Social Studies. It Consisted Of Copying Passages Right Out Of The Encyclopedia

I Do Believe In God. I Think God Has Given So Much Power To People, And Intelligence, And Said, 'well, You Are On Your Own. Maybe I'm Tired, I Need A Nap. You Are Mature. Why Don't You Look After Yourselves?' And I Think He's Been Sleeping Too Much.

I Am Grateful To Stacy Schiff First Of All Because She Can Write A Sentence-because She Offers Us Her Scholarship With Wit, Clarity, And Grace. Once Again, She Has Done What Only The Best Writers Can Do: She Has Made The World New, Again.