Motivations

I often ask new coaches at LGR SAT coach trainings, “Why did you decide to get involved with LGR?” A popular response goes something like this: “I went to a great [private or suburban public or urban magnet] high school, and I did lots of studying for the SAT and applied to lots of colleges. I want to pass some of that onto high school students who are not as privileged.” This is the (liberal) guilt answer. I wish that I heard it less and that I heard other reasons more, like meeting new people, enjoying working with kids, becoming a role-model, getting to know a community, being involved in an activity, and preparing for future careers. It’s the positive energy that comes from these motivations that makes LGR great. I wish that many coaches, while not ignoring their privilege and the guilt that may come with it, would focus on what they are gaining from LGR rather than on the guilt that they are trying to lose.

P.S. Yestrerday, two people told me that the best part of the LGR blog was when I wrote about eating a salad with raisins in it. Because people seem to like to know about what I'm eating, I'm munching right now on a roll with butter that I got this morning from two guys standing in a cart on Broadway and 61st. I think that the best coffee, except for coffee from Dunkin' Donuts, comes from carts.