Death March

It's human nature. If someone tells you to walk, it's forced. If you decide to walk, it's lovely. This is a broad generalization but think about it. If someone had told Forest to "Run", would he have? Yet, within himself he was able to do the unthinkable because he was searching to fill a need, a want, a desire. This might be why everyone loves Forest. We can all relate to him on some level and perhaps, wish we were a little more like him.

Consider the 10,000+ men who died while walking the Death March of Bataan in the Philippines during WWII. They didn't die from walking but rather the conditions in which they were forced to walk. The distance was a measley 60 miles but it's all about location, location, location. The tropical heat, lack of food and water, physical abuse, and disease made this such a deadly stroll.The difference between being forced and the ability to choose.

These examples may be two extremes and you could easily argue that one has nothing to do with the other but I ask you to think about the power of choice.Every day in classrooms across America children are either being given a choice or they are being forced. Forced to read a book that they have no interest in...the horror! Or, hopefully, given the choice in what book they'll read next, ah, the joy! Teachers can be the dictator or the liberator. Which will you be?