Why kids need solitude

In Salon.com's article "Why kids need solitude", Diana Senechal expresses her opinion that students today need more time of solitude where we can think and create our own opinions and solutions. Honestly, the article was very intriguing in the question and answer question session with Alice Karekezi asking Diana Senechal the questions. She brings up so many valid points, in my opinion. For example, she discusses that group work and workshops are used too much by teachers and that many different approaches need to be used for different lessons. Senechal also says that an engaged class doesn't necessarily have students who can deal with questions that require reflection and thinking on the spot. Also, what I found interesting was that Senechal believes that curriculums have a higher priority over tests, but tests still have an important place. Tests can give a perspective when comparing different areas and provide a baseline of knowledge.  My favorite answer that Senechal gives is, "But if the emphasis is on the success and not on the thing being accomplished, the latter almost inevitably gets reduced," (Karekezi 1). She is right, just aiming for success is not enough, you have to aim for something to be accomplished and remember what it takes to get that thing accomplished.

The question and answer format of the article "Why kids need solitude" holds the audience's attention and gives them a direction for what is being talked about. The bolded questions allow the audience to know the next subject or topic going to be discussed, instead of getting lost in the flow of the article. When defining solitude, Senechal quotes both Epictetus (a Greek philosopher) and Quintilian to help her find her own definition of solitude. This technique proves to the audience that Senechal is a knowledgeable speaker on this subject and is able to reflect on past opinions to create her own. Another establishment of ethos for Diana Senechal is that Alice Karekezi provides the audience with background information on Senechal and how she is a teacher and author. With that knowledge, the audience can understand how Senechal is able to speak of such common situations in the classroom, with students, and in everyday life. Her use of scenarios really made me feel like Senechal understood those same situations. A technique that appealed not only to ethos, but pathos too. Overall, Karekezi's interview with Senechal is a very informative and relatable article with situations that many students can understand.

Source: Karekezi, Alice . "Why kids need solitude." Salon.com 28 Dec. 2011: n. pag. Salon.com. Web. 29 Dec. 2011