As
parents of Upper Elementary students can attest, many pre-adolescent children
have a newfound righteousness that is not shy about making itself known. These
children can be passionately attached to certain definitions of right and
wrong, and can argue vehemently in defense of their opinions. What’s equally
noticeable, however, is that unless the adults in their lives provide the
structures necessary to turn these ideas into actions, these same children miss
out on critical learning opportunities.
When fielding
such passion-filled commentary from Upper Elementary children, parents and
teachers alike can develop meaningful and measurable experiences for children to explore their beliefs more deeply in ways that build real success and breakthrough.
In pursuit of this aim, adults might ask themselves:
· What
are the systems and structures available to me that a child might explore to bring
life to her/his passions?
· In
what ways can I foster the development of real and purposeful action?
· In
support of such action, what are the possibilities for failure and
disappointment? For joy and empowerment?
In both
home and classroom environments, discussing one’s feelings and opinions can find great
grounding in exploring empathy. Often confused with sympathy (feeling for
another), empathy goes a step further to actually imagining or remembering how
it feels (or would feel) to be another; that is, to walk in another’s shoes. Empowering
children to understand that everyone possesses needs and feelings as real as
their own is an essential building block of conflict resolution and lasting
peace.
It is not
enough to just believe strongly in something; it needs to be actualized to become real.
Adults can mindfully model this transformation by showing children the steps
needed to achieve the desired ends. Such partnering can be a powerful learning experience for all
those involved.
No comments:
Post a Comment