What Teaching Kids Has Taught Me About Kids
After spending decades educating children, you start to realize something.
Kids are incredibly resilient.
They get frustrated.
They fall down.
They forget.
They get embarrased.
They have bad days.
But, with the right encouragement, they will always try again.
Adults do not always give kids enough credit for that.
We sometimes focus so much on what they are not doing right that we miss everything they are doing right.
A child does not need to be perfect, they just need opportunities.
Opportunities to fail.
Opportunities to succeed.
Opportunities to make decisions.
Opportunities to solve problems.
Opportunities to discover what they are capable of.
Progress does not always happen in a straight line.
A child can have an incredible month and then suddenly seem to take a step backward.
That is okay.
They are kids and they are learning.
We forget because we are grown up. They are still growing physically, emotionally, and socially all at the same time.
Some days they are focused and some they are distracted.
Some days they walk through the door full of energy, then others they barely want to participate.
That is part of it.
Our job as instructors is not to expect every child to show up exactly the same way everyday. It is to meet them where they are and help them take the next step.
That is probably the biggest lesson teaching kids has taught me...
You never really know what a child is capable of until you give them the opportunity to find out.
And sometimes, they will surprise you.
