Here are outstanding quotations on education from Charles French. Even the earliest scholars understood children and how they learn best. Curiosity is the spark that ignites education.
“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”
Plato
“Education is essential for the improvement of humanity, and it must continue throughout a person’s life. We are never too young nor too old to learn. We must embrace curiosity about the world around us, and we should learn every day of our lives.”
Fellow blogger Don at Don Ostertag: Off Stage recently commented, “If only other teachers were children at heart.”
It hit home with me, because that is when I became a ‘real’ teacher. That’s when I found my heart. No, that’s when I melded with children’s hearts.
It happened like this…
I was always a good teacher. I planned exciting lessons. Children loved me. Parents were happy. Yet, back then I never understood there was more to being a teacher. Well, perhaps I never realized it at the time.
Early on in my preschool teaching, I interacted with children with the best of intentions, yet often struggled to feel that I had made a connection, much less a difference. Even though I was always a caring and kind teacher, there was a self imposed ‘you and me wall’. I was the teacher, and you were the student. Teaching meant teaching information, in a caring environment. Yes, I was a good teacher, but I didn’t fully understand how important love was until that day, thirty years ago.
It was nap time at school, late in the fall, the time of year when children and teachers were comfortable with each other. There I was, lying on my back, looking across the classroom. All the children were asleep, except Andrew, a child who was often distant and sometimes challenging. He was the boy I had not really connected with. He saw me, and I saw him. We both smiled, simultaneously, knowing everybody else was asleep.
At that moment, there was nobody else on the whole earth. It was just Andrew and me. He knew it and I knew it. This was deep, and forgiving, and enlightening. I understood; love has no preconceived agenda. It is ‘there’, regardless of circumstances. Most importantly, love usually isn’t met with a lot of fanfare. In fact, it is the little things that often express love. The intensity of that moment is still with me. It changed me.
It was my teacher lightbulb moment.
In education, I learned that if love comes first, then teaching becomes deeper, better, more focused, and more energized. The children learn because I have put them first.
I had it backwards, carefully planning a curriculum and activities, and then fitting the children into those plans. Not that it was bad or didn’t work; it just was…well, lacking the passion that comes from the heart of children. Oh, children know how a teacher really feels. So, thanks to Andrew, I started to change.
First, lunchtime became a forum to learn about the children and really listen to them. I learned so many little things, like the names of pets and grandparents, what a big brother does, the color of a bike. These were little things, yet they became the building blocks. We often debated deep subjects, such as if a girl can marry a girl, or if people go to heaven when they die. Everyone’s opinion was valued.
The day that Kelly told us her dog, Bruno, had died; the class did not know what to say. I told her that my dog had died years ago, and I was very sad. Then, a child asked Kelly if she was sad. The following thirty minutes was spent with heartfelt children telling each other about grandparents and pets who had died, and all the feelings and questions that naturally follow. At that moment, lunch was far less important than what was happening, and could wait. The building blocks were working.
The floodgates of real teaching opened. It was a joy.
A number of bloggers have shared this video. It’s a teacher who understands that all the academics can’t happen until there is a connection and love with teachers and children.
Stay tuned for Part 2, my journey of connecting with children and becoming a ‘real’ teacher.
There is nothing more important for a teacher than connecting with a child. Learning happens when children feel safe and loved. Therefore, there is nothing more important for a child than connecting with a teacher. Pete Springer says it beautifully.
One of the first pieces of advice I offer new teachers is never to lose focus on the universal lessons they want their students to learn. The primary role of educators is to teach academics, but that shouldn’t be a teacher’s sole concern. While gaining the ability to read, write, do math, and learn to be a critical thinker are crucial to students, equally important are the non-academic lessons.
If any educator is going to connect with their students, children must know that their teacher cares about them as people. How do we do that? By simply being human. I recommend pushing that math lesson aside for a few minutes when a student is hurting emotionally. Let them talk, cry, give them a pat on the back, high five, fist bump, or yes, even a hug when needed. Making time for students is worth…
I am still learning. After 39 years of teaching preschool, I still learn from children. Thank goodness! Today was one of those days, or I should say one of those ‘moments’.
It happened like this…
We’re learning about woodland animals. Bears have been very popular. Our loft has become a bear cave, we had a Teddy Bear Clinic with a nurse, and we made a giant Brown Bear, Brown Bear with ‘tear art’.
Children are working hard.
Today we created our own bears. We had many circles of different sizes and shades of brown. Watching children select the sizes of the circles, and how they placed them for bear parts was a joy. Every child’s perception was different. Vastly different. Art and creativity flowed.
And then there was Maddie…
She’s one of the older children. She loves art, so when she glued this I was surprised:
“Maddie, can you tell me about your bear? Is that the body?”
Silence.
I pointed to different circles and asked her to tell me about them.
Dead silence.
Okay, Jennie. You know when to let it go. So, I handed Maddie the Sharpie pen to draw the face, or decorate the bear. This is what she drew:
OH MY! Of course that’s a bear! And that’s one of the most creative bears I’ve seen. I never saw this in her circles. I looked hard, but I couldn’t see a bear. I doubted Maddie. No, I didn’t understand her thinking. I was ‘in the box’ and she was ‘out of the box.’
Bright sun, black sky
late this afternoon.
An oxymoron,
Mother Nature’s playful way.
Did she want us to look up?
Take in the last color of fall?
I was captivated.
People walked by, never looking.
I was the winner, others were not.
Lucky me.
“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.” ~E.B. White~
This is the most powerful story of what an act of kindness can do. I’ve never forgotten this story. I hope it will stay with you long after you read it, too. Thank you Coach Muller.
The great Chinese movie actor, Jackie Chan, once said, “Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life”. It is so true! The great thing about showing kindness towards others is that it is free! It costs you nothing but can have a tremendous positive influence on the person who is receiving your kind deed.
The following story has been around for a while but is a great illustration demonstrating how one act of kindness can change another individual’s life FOREVER!
One day, when I was a freshman in high school,
I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.
His name was Kyle.
It looked like he was carrying all of his books.
I thought to myself, ‘Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?
Today children thanked a veteran. That in itself is a big deal, because the children are preschoolers. In order to thank a veteran, I need to give children a context of understanding. That starts with songs, and my preschoolers love to belt out “God Bless America.” We often sing along with the book.
On the playground this week, children were singing the song.
We learned how to stand, tall and proud, and how to put our hands on our hearts. Singing “God Bless America” in this way gives children a feeling and understanding of respect.
Next, we made a giant American flag:
The planning and cutting
The gluing
Adding the stars
Our guest was a retired Army General. ‘General Z’ was wonderful. We presented him with our flag, and we sang “God Bless America.”
Children were given the opportunity to shake his hand and say ‘thank you’. The youngest child cried because she didn’t want to shake his hand; she wanted to hug him. That opened the door for many hugs. It was a moment.
Red white and blue.
Air Force Sargent Mike came to school today. He had borrowed my book, Blue Sky, White Stars, to read to his daughter’s class at the elementary school. He returned it, and children had an opportunity to shake his hand and say ‘thank you’.
The book depicts America and the flag. On every open page, the words are the same; one is about the flag, and the other is about America.
White rows. White rows.
Rising up. Rising up.
All American. All American.
(I always get choked up on this page.)
The day was wonderful. Children understood. They were proud. The veterans felt the same way, ten-fold.
“Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent. What I wonder is why everybody doesn’t carry a book around for those inevitable dead spots in life.”
Dad (Michael) picked up his son (Bradley) from school this week. We had a brief but powerful conversation, one I will long remember:
Dad: “You know, Bradley talks a lot about chapter reading at school. He talks about Charlotte’s Web.”
Me: “I’m glad to hear that, Michael. He loves it, even though he might fall asleep before it’s over.”
Head nodding. Serious thinking.
Me: “It’s really a big thing, Michael, because you have to make the pictures in your head. Children have to think and focus. It’s a huge step in literacy.”
More head nodding and serious thinking. A long pause.
Dad: “I think I should chapter read to Bradley before he goes to bed. Just a chapter each night. Maybe Charlotte’s Web.”
Me: “That would be wonderful, Michael. Bradley would love it. We finished the book but it’s fresh in his brain. And, he didn’t hear the whole thing.”
More head nodding and thinking. Much more.
Dad: “His birthday is next month. He has too much stuff. We’ll get him Charlotte’s Web for his birthday.”
I think I smiled so hard that my cheeks hurt. I reached out to touch Michael’s shoulder. We looked at each other and understood. No words, just smiles.
There are those moments in teaching that are brighter than all the stars and stick with us like glue. They may be fleeting in time, yet they are powerful. This was one of those moments.
I hope E.B. White is looking down and smiling.
“Literature has been the vehicle that connects us. Regardless of age, everyone loves a good story.” ~Pete Springer, author and teacher~
A Teacher's Reflections 