Young minds
You know, although I’ve been a teacher for over 17 years (HOW am I old enough to say that – when did that happen?!), I’ve only been a mum for seven. I think in that seven years, I’ve learnt more about children’s development than I ever could in a school environment. It never ceases to amaze me how big a capacity young children have for learning. Take my seven year old. He knows more Japanese than me through his Judo lessons. Pronounciation – no problem. Understanding – take it as given. We recently acquired a piano and after showing an interest he’s started taking lessons. In 5 weeks he has learnt to read music and has started to learn to play with both hands – all whilst teasing his father mercilessly that he knows more than him…What happens to this thirst for knowledge and learning as they get older? Do we, as secondary teachers, lose the powers to nuture this ability through the curse of deadlines, time restrictions and inflexibility – all I hasten to add, not of our own making. I often feel a slight pang of jealousy when the kids run home talking about the greenhouse they made of plastic bottles, or the museum opening they had for parents. It all sounds so much fun…something I think which sometimes gets lost in the secondary education system, or at least takes second place. Or is it just that outside factors and hormones take over? In a time when (I feel) kids are growing up too fast), I think I’ll try and keep mine young for as long as possible. Let them try out as many things as possible and hope they find a passion that will follow them through life. Here’s hoping.
