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Boston Globe

Readers share their thoughts on running across Vermont, and loneliness

Shrewsbury Route 9 between Brattleboro and Bennington is as scenic a road as you can get in Southern Vermont. It is also a deceptively hairy road to drive on in any season in the year. . . . I can't imagine running that route. It's hard enough driving on it. Advertisement randyholhut posted on Nolan did a tremendous job combining the history of Vermont with the country landscape. I was, however, confused by the Bernie Sanders reference. Nolan writes: 'I passed through Bennington's waking brick-front businesses and reached the state's oldest, most defining feature: Bernie Sanders the Green Mountains.' A little backwoods Vermont humor, perhaps? Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Jeffrey McKeen Rowley A fun read! Paul Froehlich Ayer Nice bit of well-written adventure. The illustration, however, shows the runner on the right side of the road, whereas I was taught to stay on the left, facing traffic. Artistically, the way the illustration was designed calls for the figure where it is, in danger. Phila Slade North Andover Vermont has a uniquely wonderful charm all its own. I'm glad the writer got his Snickers worth. wtilnxtyr posted on I enjoyed reading about the author's run across Vermont. Protect your knees! Chuck Monroe Dorchester The illustration depicts a runner cruising along the wrong side of the highway. Rules of the road — as well as common sense — dictate that unlike cyclists who should ride in the same direction as automobile traffic, pedestrians (including walkers and runners) should travel along the left side of the road to face oncoming traffic — except, of course, where a sidewalk is available. Joe Travers Marshfield The simplicity of the cover photo [for the Dispatches From Vermont package] with single figures dispersed against a bright white slope grabbed my attention. Recently, we visited the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, which features a Paul Sample painting of hunters in the snow (much better than the famous Bruegel painting of that name). Both scenes convey affection for the season and sport, and the power of radiant white. Advertisement Angela Lin Westwood Wide World of Data Thank you, Yoohyun Jung, for your reflections ( Vox Pop posted on As someone who was diagnosed with ADHD in her 50s, I can relate to the feelings of 'grief' that the author talks about. I struggled for a long time after my diagnosis, feeling angry for the lost time, wanting a 'do-over,' and wondering how different my life would have been if only someone had recognized what was going on with me as an adolescent. That is, of course, not to be, and like the writer, I am moving forward from a new starting line. Thanks for the reminder that I'm not alone. JulieVegas posted on I was very touched by Jung's searingly honest account. I truly hope she can forgive herself for some of her earlier behavior. I can imagine the difficulties she experienced when she was younger were not well understood at that time. I feel great sympathy for those who struggle to be heard and understood. Advertisement Rosemary Sullivan Arlington This resonated very deeply with me, particularly in the discussion of data collection as a process that can be intentionally exclusionary or inclusive, and how this can prevent us from feeling seen or getting the support we need. In my studies at Smith College, I have struggled a lot in determining how I want to use my data analysis/science skills in a way that matters, partly because I have never really seen myself in the curriculum or the data. However, I have always loved the ability of data to tell stories and spark real discussions. I have felt the most academically and intellectually fulfilled when combining technical data analysis with broader humanities-focused research. I was so struck by the potential of data journalism as a meaningful career for myself. Mattea Whitlow Salem Sending hugs and love to the author. I am sorry it has been so hard. Yoohyun: The self you are seems awesome! So, keep and deepen that connection. You have a lot to give. Last thing, you sling words as well as you sling data! Martha Stewart Arlington I've never been diagnosed but I'm pretty sure I also have ADHD. Always in the principal's office in grade school and struggled academically in high school and college. I figured out as I went that I was easily distracted and couldn't concentrate. Money was very important to me when I was growing up and I found the perfect job: retailing. My ADHD thrived when putting out products for sale and making them look good. I eventually owned my own stores and did very well. I sold my business in 2004. Because I wanted to make money, I channeled my weakness and made it my strength. Advertisement Garrett Terzian Cumberland, Rhode Island Thank you so much for sharing, Yoohyun! Very wonderful article that will help many. Ginny Conway Needham Lessons to Learn Danielle Charbonneau put into words in Perspective what I believe to be such an important pedagogical perspective ( Amy Hass Arlington Charbonneau advocates for some teaching practices to improve education. They sound very helpful. But they aren't a substitute for testing! The problem is that some teachers and schools are better than others. Students who win the lottery for good ones are better prepared for the world than those who get bad ones. I knew kids who did well in school, but found they were ill-prepared when they got to college. We need standardized testing to identify and fix poor teachers and schools. Perhaps MCAS was a bad test. If so, what is needed is better standardized testing, not elimination of it. Teaching to the test would be a good thing if we were testing what we want our kids to learn. Advertisement Paul Kyzivatas Hudson Sorry, but Charbonneau's ideas about 'alternative education' are as old as schools themselves. Her 'project-based' learning, where students might plan a fund-raiser for a local food pantry, do nothing to prepare them for life after high school. In my 40 years at Brockton High, I tried to have my English students master the 'essential skills' MCAS wanted to emphasize: to be able to understand and articulate what someone else was saying in a piece of writing, to write a series of cogent sentences that expressed what they were thinking, and more. Yes, that takes effort and it can be difficult. But I'll bet my students would say I prepared them for the challenges of today's world more than Charbonneau's alternatives would have. Marvin Gans Falmouth The focus on preparing students for college has gone way too far, and it'd be great to see some of the non-college-track basics come back. Not all students are cut out for college, and MANY excellent, well-paying jobs don't require it. We need to take a closer look at how other countries educate their children so that they can succeed in the workforce whether or not they go to college. Policywonk88 posted on Public school students in Massachusetts most certainly need a test that will confirm proficiency in math and English. The Massachusetts Teachers Association blew their bugle for a year that the MCAS caused stress; if the students are prepared for any exam, there's not stress, there's confidence. Students need to pay attention in class, do their homework as instructed, and know the answers. Teachers need to offer extra help to below-grade students, as was done years ago. Joel D'Errico Franklin Luck of the Irish Ireland is awesome ( Tree Farmer posted on Head to Connemara on your next trip. Half of Dorchester came from there. Local26 posted on I have lived in Ireland. It is much different than visiting. Initially, it takes some getting used to the differences but over time you adjust to the 'real Ireland,' not the one the tourists see. The Ireland you live in daily is even better than the tourist Ireland. It is a wonderful country with a more civil pace of life than the United States. Prof 1 posted on I'm not even Irish but traveled there a while back and felt most everything [Perspective author Emily Sweeney] just wrote about. mdp123 posted on I found the Irish were very interested in learning I was from America. My great-grandparents were from there, and I found some distant cousins who showed us around. They knew the historical places related to our family that I'd want to see. And they took me to the cemeteries to see where various ancestors were buried. I felt such a deep connection to the place that I find it difficult to even put into words. Everyone I met was more than willing to help, to tell me what interesting places I should see that tourists don't know about. It was the best trip I had ever been on, and I'd love to go back. If I could get dual citizenship, I absolutely would. NotEveryone posted on I've traveled far and wide, lived in five countries, and yet the only place I've ever felt feelings of awe and wonder was Ireland. I have zero Irish ancestry, by the way. Blerg11 posted on CONTACT US: Write to magazine@ or The Boston Globe Magazine/Comments, 1 Exchange Place, Suite 201, Boston, MA 02109-2132. Comments are subject to editing.