After my speech at South Hardin, I had to travel three hours west back toward Remsen. I decided to stay in Cherokee. Fortunately, a diner was still open and the deep-fried chicken hit the spot. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep well because the small hotel had paper-thin walls.

Remsen Union is a quaint town and unlike many small farming communities nearing obscurity this is a town that remained vibrant. Old and new houses were well maintained. When I signed up at the local library to use the computer, the librarian recognized my name and asked if I would autograph the library's copy of my book. The librarian also took time out of her schedule to listen to my speech.

When I arrived at Remsen's High School, Stacey Galles greeted me with a warm smile. Stacey had requested I speak to the students and she was a terrific host - ensuring my water supply never ran out. She also gave me time to cash the school's check at their local bank - which was desperately needed considering my money supply for hotels was running short.

I was scheduled to speak 4 times. The high school students were first. I spoke on a wooden stage in a roomy auditorium. Initially, the high school students were enthusiastic about my speech. I had invited the seniors on stage and asked their fellow students to offer them a round of applause for their accomplishment. And yet, after my speech turned serious about the challenges these students faced in a world economy, the students became disenchanted. How do you forewarn such independent spirits about the hardships they'd soon have to live with? They'd been living in a vaccuum for 18 years and would soon be thrust on center stage. Such students were like molded plaster - tough and rigid on the outside and yet fragile on the inside.

How do you tell such students the world would measure them by their output and their opinions - at least initially - had no relevance in a global economy struggling to stay financially secure?

Afterward, I spoke to the younger students and we had so much fun that I broke several times in laughter. The highlight of my visit was when St. Mary's students filled the auditorium. They blended well with the other students and we sure enjoyed ourselves.

As I was driving toward my next adventure, I had to wonder if our rigid testing standards to ensure state educational conformity was the root cause for the loss of wonder in older students.