Freedom to Roam

Every time I do a presentation to a group of adults, whether they're teachers, parents or community members, I try to lead off with a question: "How many of you walked or rode your bike to school?" It helps to break the ice and set the context, and I always see a lot of hands go up, some smiles, and a few people looking around the room.

Today, walking to school is something most adults can relate to from personal experience. Even if they drive their own kids to school, the idea of making the trip on foot just makes sense. In a generation, adults may think of walking to school as a quaint anachronism from a bygone age; our statistics tell us that most of them will have been driven to school their whole student careers.