Priscilla Gilman
I have taught in the English Departments of Yale and Vassar, in prisons and public schools, at Mt Sinai Medical School and at book groups throughout NYC, but never have I had as profound, moving, and important a pedagogical experience as I did at Still Waters in A Storm. Steve Haff has created an oasis of compassion, peace, and creativity for children who need it most. Still Waters is a place where children can be themselves, express themselves, and develop themselves. It is a place where they are taught not only how to read and write but also how to listen, take risks, share vulnerabilities and honor vulnerability in others. Steve presides over it all with an inimitable blend of kindness, wisdom, humor, warmth, and rigor, and makes each child feel accepted, appreciated, and valued. Still Waters deserves all possible support so that it can survive, thrive, and continue to immeasurably enrich the lives of the children it serves.