Rice: Take On Challenges That Are Not Easy to Master

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROD LAMKEY JR./THE WASHINGTON TIMES

A GROUP OF students from the Jewish Primary Day School in DC pose for a photo with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday after she held a question-and-answer session with the fourth- through sixth-graders.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told students at a Washington school Sunday that it is easy to do some things well, "but you'll feel greater achievement working hard at something you don't do so well and then mastering it."

It was Rice's first visit back to the Capital since leaving office as head of the State Department in January.

When a boy asked how she felt about "things the Obama administration has said about how we got information from prisoners," Miss Rice replied that she didn't think it would be responsible for her to give an opinion.

"[Barack Obama] is now my president, too," she said. "I will not agree with everything that they do, I will not agree with everything that they say, ... but for the time being, if I disagree, I'll keep it to myself."

She went on to discuss the importance of education and reflected on her childhood to about 40 students in grades four through six. She told them that some of the most important things children can do are to study foreign languages, study music, visit foreign countries and find something that they are passionate about. ---from the Washington Times.

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I like Rice's message. I especially like it that she said it to this group of kids who will take her message to heart. There indeed are some things in all our lives that we do well naturally. And other things we're attracted to, but have little practice in. We know, however, if we're willing to work hard and persist, we can become better at. These are the things in my life that have given me the greatest satisfaction over the long haul. Fly fishing is one of the things that comes to mind....Bible study is another. Writing daily, another. Whatever puts discipline into my life is always satisfying over time.