Noah Levine
Visiting Stephen Haff’s Still Waters in a Quiet Storm, I found a wonderfully inquisitive group of young people and a brilliant, fearless educator. The students began the day with a meal and a substantial discussion about their own definitions of “Magic.” I gave a short performance and then taught the students a complex card trick (which they mastered quickly). Over the next hour, I watched the students break into groups and create beautiful, off-the-wall, and expressive stories to accompany this trick. The day ended with students presenting their creations, along with a discussion about the meanings behind each performance.
I was blown away both by the freedom granted to these students’ imaginations, and to the rigor with which they were required to listen and respond to one another. In the weeks since this visit, words like “community,” “compassion,” “education,” and “dialogue” have reentered my vocabulary with a new decisiveness. I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to Still Waters for reminding me that these words are not lofty ideals for the distant future, they can be what gets done between breakfast, lunch, and dinner.