Letter to the Editor: Gardens of paradise in Dufur

Today I visited the Dufur School briefly, and was impressed with the atmosphere. It made me wonder why everyone looked so happy to be doing time in the cells of academe. My own incarceration experience in the brick gulag of East High School, Sioux City, IA, Class of 1969, was sort of a SEAL-grade Outward Bound for sullen and marginalized outsiders like myself.

By sharp contrast, the way the gardens of Paradise differ from Abu Outgrabe, the modern Dufur learning environment made me wish I had dropped out in the eighth grade and GED’ed, just so I could return at 63.

In my ancient opinion, but for sure, Dufur School is groovy.

Q.E.D.

Apart from the fact that the students, staff, and visitors were all having a pleasant day, I was encouraged that the conversations referenced Tesla and e.e. cummings, overheard by me in the hallways and the playing field respectively.

These young people, wisely investing their billion bucks’ worth of youth apiece in seeking happiness, are also not squandering the citizen’s public-school dollar in these classrooms.

My optimism about the future of American education just went up a whole notch in one day. Here there be geniuses. I intend to volunteer around the doldrums of spring midterm, when they’ll need cheering up, and sincerely encourage others to volunteer locally. Your success in business or art will be their clearest inspiration. A good role model can be a priceless heuristic tool.

Geoffrey Taylor

Dufur