Most teachers try hard to notice the individuals in their classes – to pay attention to individual needs and make sure each child feels important. That can be hard to do, especially if some children’s needs cry out for more attention than others, or if the teacher has needs that get in the way. And…
Some children make it easy for you to care about them. They do and say things that just melt your heart. They make your day, even sometimes when you come to school determined to have a lousy day. They sometimes seem like teachers’ aides, setting examples for other children, helping those who need help, and…
Teachers do lots of planning, and paradoxically, that planning sometimes allows teachers to be spontaneous. I recently saw a good example. Pam Szczesny, one of the teachers with whom I volunteer, came to class either having just seen tracks in the snow near her home or at least telling the children she had seen some….
Children, like the rest of us, complain sometimes. Some more than others. And also like the rest of us, their complaints are sometimes justified, sometimes not. Often, when we listen to people’s complaints, we think about whether there’s any substance to them – whether they refer to real problems that ought to be addressed. And…
A friend recently asked me what to do about or how to think about her son, who is beginning to define himself. The definitions children come up with are often very different from what we had in mind when we started parenting, and very different from what we saw during the first few years. And…
Over the years, I’ve known several people who have said that they or their children skipped childhood. Their feelings about that perceived phenomenon range from pride to bitterness. Sometimes people have told me that their children are reincarnated adults, but I think very few (if any) of those people really believe in reincarnation; they don’t…
A few teachers tried to teach us how to take notes. And some of us learned how to do it. Gloriana, who later became our valedictorian, was great at it. Her notes were always arranged in outline form, and written in what looked to me like calligraphy. Sometimes, I’d watch her take notes, hoping to…
When I was in seventh grade, Mr. Wetlauffer, my art teacher, once looked at a drawing I’d done and recommended that I stick to music. I think he was commenting on my art more than on my music. I’m pretty sure he meant it as a little joke. But I was devastated by his comment,…
I recently had lunch at a restaurant with my friend Russell and his daughter Isabel, who is two and a half years old. Isabel had a lot to say, and said it. Yet she allowed us to have our conversations, too. I found that surprising, but maybe that’s because it’s been so long since I’ve…
I’m in a fairly unique position in a school system, and I’m developing a conviction that it’s too bad it’s so unique. I stay with the children as they move from grade to grade, and so I really get to know them. If a child has a noteworthy experience or does something significant in first…