So exciting

I find most political conversations to be pointless. Most people just want to hear their own opinions and be told how smart they are. I know this is true for myself.

There are, of course, exceptions, but I haven't found too many. I had a friend at my old school who grew up in Michigan, and while we had similar views, she always brought a new perspective to my awareness because she grew up in a different state with different issues than California.

I'd love to have more people to talk to who truly gave me a fresh perspective on things, but also valued my opinion. While I haven't found adults like that so far at my work (which is really the only place I am besides my home), I have found an unexpected treasure of insight from my students.

I had the most intellectually stimulating conversation today with a student of mine. She just came in to talk about the election. She wasn't entirely sure about how it worked, so she had some questions about the primary process. She listened very carefully to my answers, but the next part was the best.

She had truly insightful views about what our country would possibly be like with a female president or a black president. (She's black herself, as a sidenote.) She actually knows quite a bit about Bill Clinton. (She was born in '92, so that's impressive.) She was able to express respect for Hillary, and eloquently state her reasons for liking Obama.

She had areas of lacking knowledge: she told me that she would never want a Republican president again because they're all crazy white guys who want to go to war. I told her that she might find a different case if she were to look at more GOP candidates more closely, and she conceded that I might be right. (That's a big deal when you're 16.)

I am so excited about this election, and this ten minute conversation today confirmed my excitement. I love when the democratic process brings people together for conversation. Cause really, democracy is all about everyday people having everyday conversations about how to change our world.