Children are teachers too!
What we can learn from children.
It’s been almost seven months since this blog started. If you notice, all the articles are centered around what we can teach children. This one is a little different. This one talks about: What children can teach us.
Why am I writing about this?
Children are my source of inspiration. The first time I taught in a classroom was in the year 2013. A girl walked up to me and said “When I grow up, I want to be a didi like you!” What stood out to me was her ability to be appreciative and vulnerable at the same time. As adults, we start losing this as we grow up. It’s time we learn from children and bring our inner child back.
So, here is what we can learn from children:
To be carefree- Give a child a piece of chocolate and they will relish every bite of it. It does not matter if half the chocolate is on their entire face. They feel happy. As adults, we care a lot about what people think. We are scared to dance in public or speak our minds out. It’s time we learn from children and think “What’s the worst that could happen?”
To be curious- Go to a child and ask them about their friends. Ask them about what their favorite color is or what they like? They won’t hesitate before answering. Instead, they will tell you all about their favorite color and ask you what’s your third favorite color? Somewhere, down the line, we adults stopped asking questions. Our conversations start at “How are you” and end at “I’m fine” Let’s cut the small talk and get to know others better.
To celebrate- If a child solves a puzzle or makes a drawing they will come running to you. They will talk about it as if it’s the greatest achievement of their lives. How many times do we as adults do that? I don’t mean we gloat about everything we do. Let’s give ourselves a pat on the back and celebrate little joys.
To express- This one’s my favorite. If a child is happy, they jump. If they are sad, they cry. Why do we adults suppress our emotions? What if we gave ourselves the permission to feel? As adults, we need to express ourselves more rather than bottling up our feelings.
To accept- Once a child asked a transwoman. You look like a man but you call yourself a female. I am confused. The transwoman replied that I have the body of a male but I feel like a female on the inside. The child said, “So your heart and mind feel like a woman, your body is a man. That’s 2 vs 1. So you are a woman!” Imagine if the whole world thought like this? Children don’t judge you by your caste, gender, race, or color. As long as you are a good person, they will love you.
To appreciate- There have been days in my classroom where I have felt lost as a teacher. Every time, this happens my kids make cards or simply ask me if I am okay. If I say no, they will come up with a thousand ways to appreciate me. Their ways to show appreciation inspires me. We as adults can definitely learn from this and appreciate the people around us. How about making a handmade card or simply saying thank you?
The little humans in our lives are not so little after all. They are learning new things every day. It’s time we learn from them.
What is something that you have learned from children?