Voices Seldom Heard

From 1999 to 2009 I ran a website called Ami's Anti-School Zone! My name isn't Ami but I'd used that name as a character in one of my books and tried to let her personality be the star of the site. I had decided to create the site after the Columbine school shooting to give kids a place to vent their feelings, whether pro or con, about school. I hoped that, by doing so, I might help avert another such shooting.

Yeah, I know. I was naïve.

But I am proud that AASZ received over 56,000 visits, in spite of the fact that I had no real way of promoting it. And it spurred some deep thoughts and conversations about what is truly important in a child's education.

I took AASZ down in 2009 due to some personal illnesses that made it difficult for me to keep up with the maintenance of the site. But I have never forgotten the impact it had on me and my life. I met so many young, talented, smart people who had great ideas and humor and sincerity. I lost track of them over the years but I hope they kept the courage and passion for life they showed then.