Lunch yesterday, with the principal of a nearby township high school, reminded me of how lucky I am.  For over an hour, Mr. Kutu described a school so riddled with challenges that I could hardly eat my meal.  The list of problems was endless – orphans, drugs, violence, pregnancy, young and inexperienced teachers, etc.  When I asked him how he reached out to the community, he simply laughed and explained that there was almost “no communication to speak of.”  According to him, because the government pays for his school, families in the community don’t feel “invested” in the educational process.  They remain oddly disconnected.  What’s more, he added, many of his students’ families are so “broken” that their socioeconomic obstacles render education a peripheral issue at best.  And though I have heard of schools in the United States with similar profiles, they are certainly not near Arlington, MA.  We are blessed to work in a town that clearly respects education and can provide the proper resources with which high-level learning can happen.  Teachers do not have upwards of 40 students in the room, a low estimate in Mr. Kutu’s world, nor do we have a prevalence of teen pregnancies.  Granted, AHS has been looking slightly weathered for a while, but the government schools here in SA are lucky if they have running water.  And then there’s the issue of language; half of Mr. Kutu’s students do not speak English, and another sizeable percentage is illiterate.  So, as Mr. Kutu and I finished our meals, we discussed ways in which I could potentially contribute to his school, perhaps helping some of the younger teachers with classroom management or offering an American Studies elective to seniors - all mildly daunting, but exciting prospects, nonetheless.  While mulling this over on my drove home, I suddenly realized how thankful I am to work in a place like Arlington, MA.  In spite of our minor list of challenges, which many commonly voice, our system is a terrific one, filled with exceptional people and a fortunate infrastructure.   Most importantly, we work in a community that is highly educated, with strong families that love their children and invest actively in their academic welfare.  What a true blessing!