Claire Messud
Stephen Haff’s unique store-front schoolhouse in Bushwick, Still Waters in a Storm, is extraordinary and inspiring. It’s not just about the amazing things the kids learn there – from translating Ovid to playing the viola to writing fiction – but also about the life-lessons he and his passionate young colleagues impart: in a world where disrespect and indifference are rampant, and where these kids in particular discover very early how tough life can be, these kids learn from Stephen’s example that every voice matters, that each child has something important to say, and that just as each of us is entitled to be heard, so too we should listen, attentively, to others.
The day I spent at Still Waters was utterly memorable – thrilling, consuming, challenging, fun and exhausting in the best ways. We so often wonder whether our work matters; Stephen’s work matters so palpably, in every moment. You can see it in the children’s earnest hard work, hear it in their surprising and beautiful stories, and feel it in their exuberant laughter and in their tenderness when another child expresses sadness. It was a joy and a gift to share in such creativity and vital energy, and to see how beautifully the adults shepherd and respond to the kids. I felt fortunate to be, even briefly, party to the magic.