Taking Educational Psychology online has been a challenge. It's been a class of extreme pros and cons. The con is that I have to do a lot of reading from a large, flimsy textbook. The pro? I get to write a LOT! Recently, I had to explain in a few sentences what I learn from my students. For those who keep an eye out for quotations from the daycare where I'm currently employed, here's a paragraph.
My current job situation involves 4 and 5-year-olds twice a week and 8 and 9-year-olds five times a week. Something that I continually learn from both age groups is the ability to see past the obvious and into the inexplicable complexity of a person. It's interesting, because most people think of higher-order thinking skills as being an adult capability. But in some ways, by emphasizing the analytical, we lose a sense of the subjective poetry of life that thrives in the beautiful chaos of childhood. When a 3K-er explains that he wishes rain were candy falling from the sky, a 4-year-old informs me that his mom was a cowgirl...tomorrow, a 5K-er tells me that I "smell like rainbows," and a 3rd-grader explains the sidewalk squares in terms of the United States map, I remember that life isn't all algorithms and formulas. There is a magic in the ordinary that I forget to notice. My students teach me to see it. Their boats of thought bump into mine and splash creativity all over me. They teach me that each person in my life (whether I view their presence as negative or positive) is an irreplaceable gift, a chance to see the world in a way that I never would have otherwise. Their perspective is infinitely valuable because they are seeing with eyes that haven't been pushed into a narrow rut. I love that. And some days, it's the only reason I get out of bed to go to work.
No comments:
Post a Comment