Incredible news! Very much looking forward to the publication of this book! I know of a home schooling community that might be interested in adopting this. Keep us posted!
Clay, Thank you so much for this. It truly means a great deal to me. I care a lot about bringing these ideas to children in a way that feels alive and hopeful, and your encouragement gives me energy to keep going!
I found your letter interesting, not over the top or too long. Similar to a prologue that can be long, it gives context for your book.
I’m curious if you attended a Waldorf School. Your insights are central to their curriculum. Storytelling — study and reflection. Waldorf Schools base their curriculum on Head, Hands and Heart as well.
I have not read your book/curriculum yet, but based on your description my hope is that it is well received by public schools for use in classrooms. As a grandparent, I can see families enjoying and sharing your book with their children and grandchildren too.
I read your first book a few years ago, it was revelatory, thought provoking, encouraging. I subscribe to your Substack because I feel you have an important message. I hope you won't take offense if I say that, while I shared your Soul of Civility book with several people, this email fell flat with me and isn't one that I would share as an advertisement for a children's book with my educator friends or the parents that I know.
I was so befuddled by all of the terms and explanations of terms that I actually stopped reading after the fourth paragraph. This surprised me because I have had a good grounding in Educational Administration and yes, I remember those terms from my graduate studies. I looked back at your salutation to see just whom you were addressing because it seemed to be an intro to an academic thesis rather than a letter to "Dear Parents and Teachers...." You are no doubt aware that many adults in the US now read at barely a sixth grade level. As a retired higher educational administrator and as a current substitute teacher in elementary schools here in Arizona, I can guarantee you that very few of the parents I know, even the TEACHERS I know, would read past your fourth paragraph.
I know that you have taken it as a mission to elevate civility in our society. I agree with that mission wholeheartedly. But in my own opinion and experience, writing at this length and at this level of complexity to educators and parents you want to convince of the joy and message of the classics isn't going to grab them. A message half this length, omitting those terms that very few non graduate students would understand, would reach a wider audience. I am sure I would/will get disagreement on this so just take this as a respectful comment from a reader.
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and generous note. I mean that sincerely. I can tell how much care you bring both to education and to the people you serve, and I am grateful you trusted me with your honest response.
I appreciate you naming both what resonated with The Soul of Civility and where this introduction fell short for you. That context matters. Your experience as a higher education administrator and now as someone in elementary classrooms gives your perspective real weight, especially on questions of audience, accessibility, and how people actually read in practice rather than in theory.
You are right about the risk you name. If language intended to clarify instead creates friction or fatigue, then it fails its purpose. My aim was to orient parents and teachers to the intellectual lineage behind the project, but your note is a helpful reminder that orientation can feel like a barrier if it is too dense or too long for the moment in which it is received.
I am holding your feedback carefully as I revise and refine. The tension between invitation and explanation, between accessibility and precision, is a real one, and your message helps me recalibrate. I share your desire to reach not only those already comfortable with academic language, but families and educators who are tired, busy, and still hungry for meaning.
Thank you again for offering your thoughts with such respect and clarity. Even where readers disagree, this kind of engagement is a gift, and I am grateful for your continued interest in the work.
Incredible news! Very much looking forward to the publication of this book! I know of a home schooling community that might be interested in adopting this. Keep us posted!
Very grateful for your work on a children's book to spread the good message!
Clay, Thank you so much for this. It truly means a great deal to me. I care a lot about bringing these ideas to children in a way that feels alive and hopeful, and your encouragement gives me energy to keep going!
I found your letter interesting, not over the top or too long. Similar to a prologue that can be long, it gives context for your book.
I’m curious if you attended a Waldorf School. Your insights are central to their curriculum. Storytelling — study and reflection. Waldorf Schools base their curriculum on Head, Hands and Heart as well.
I have not read your book/curriculum yet, but based on your description my hope is that it is well received by public schools for use in classrooms. As a grandparent, I can see families enjoying and sharing your book with their children and grandchildren too.
Thank you! I didn’t attend a Waldorf school but admire what little I know about
their model! Also, if you’d like to read some stories to your grandchildren, I’d love your thoughts / their reaction!
I read your first book a few years ago, it was revelatory, thought provoking, encouraging. I subscribe to your Substack because I feel you have an important message. I hope you won't take offense if I say that, while I shared your Soul of Civility book with several people, this email fell flat with me and isn't one that I would share as an advertisement for a children's book with my educator friends or the parents that I know.
I was so befuddled by all of the terms and explanations of terms that I actually stopped reading after the fourth paragraph. This surprised me because I have had a good grounding in Educational Administration and yes, I remember those terms from my graduate studies. I looked back at your salutation to see just whom you were addressing because it seemed to be an intro to an academic thesis rather than a letter to "Dear Parents and Teachers...." You are no doubt aware that many adults in the US now read at barely a sixth grade level. As a retired higher educational administrator and as a current substitute teacher in elementary schools here in Arizona, I can guarantee you that very few of the parents I know, even the TEACHERS I know, would read past your fourth paragraph.
I know that you have taken it as a mission to elevate civility in our society. I agree with that mission wholeheartedly. But in my own opinion and experience, writing at this length and at this level of complexity to educators and parents you want to convince of the joy and message of the classics isn't going to grab them. A message half this length, omitting those terms that very few non graduate students would understand, would reach a wider audience. I am sure I would/will get disagreement on this so just take this as a respectful comment from a reader.
Dear Valerie,
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and generous note. I mean that sincerely. I can tell how much care you bring both to education and to the people you serve, and I am grateful you trusted me with your honest response.
I appreciate you naming both what resonated with The Soul of Civility and where this introduction fell short for you. That context matters. Your experience as a higher education administrator and now as someone in elementary classrooms gives your perspective real weight, especially on questions of audience, accessibility, and how people actually read in practice rather than in theory.
You are right about the risk you name. If language intended to clarify instead creates friction or fatigue, then it fails its purpose. My aim was to orient parents and teachers to the intellectual lineage behind the project, but your note is a helpful reminder that orientation can feel like a barrier if it is too dense or too long for the moment in which it is received.
I am holding your feedback carefully as I revise and refine. The tension between invitation and explanation, between accessibility and precision, is a real one, and your message helps me recalibrate. I share your desire to reach not only those already comfortable with academic language, but families and educators who are tired, busy, and still hungry for meaning.
Thank you again for offering your thoughts with such respect and clarity. Even where readers disagree, this kind of engagement is a gift, and I am grateful for your continued interest in the work.
Warmly,
Alexandra