Suffer the Little Children

Posted in DemEd in Real LifePhilosophy of EducationParenting on Jan 08, 2010 - 12:09 AM

Do you ever notice how the first thing that pops out of most people's mouths when they speak to a young child is, "So how's school?" It's as if school is the only common denominator people can come up with to address these "little people." I guess that can be an okay way to begin a conversation; sometimes an opener like that could lead into favorite things to do, hobbies, interests, etc.

But it often leads to negativity, from what I've witnessed. Though I used to politely murmur, "Fine, thanks," I have been either entertained or horrified (or a combination of the two, really) by plenty of sad stories. "I hate it!" or "Gym is okay, I guess," or "My teacher sucks" are all phrases that I've heard--not to mention some pretty eye-popping dirtier versions. And then the inquiring adult will typically laugh and share a horror story to rival the kiddo's sob story--because, let's face it, we're Americans and we like our fish tales--and it's all as ordinary as a Labor Day cookout in the backyard.

Except...shouldn't it not be ordinary?

I get that it's small talk and that it's not exactly Aunt Molly's job to take on Little Jimmy's elementary school teacher like the K-12 Crusader, but are we so desensitized that we just shrug it off, chalking it up to the childhood experience? It's good that they suffer because we had to suffer, right? Or perhaps we think Jimmy is embellishing his facts a bit, since all children lie, of course. What if, however, the conversation changed just a bit...

"Why do you hate school, Jimmy?"

"Miss Smith is so boring. All I do is worksheets. I hate it!"

"Hmmm. Is there anything you do like learning about?"

"Sure. I really like to build stuff like rocket ships and boats."

"You know what? I used to build model airplanes..."

Wouldn't that be a more interesting conversation to have at your next family reunion? Or better yet, skip the questions about school and learning entirely and go for the gold--What are you into, Jimmy? What's your favorite book? What kind of music do you like? Who is your hero? What do you want to be when you get older?

Now we're talking!

And then if all schools were like that to begin with... Well, I wouldn't mind bringing them up over barbecue and potato salad so much.

Tags for this entry:
youth-adult relationships, joy of learning, questioning, conversation

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