Can We Talk?

If you have worked with children in any capacity, I’m hoping you will be able to relate to this story. On a given day I can come home and feel that my “smile muscles “hurt from the strain of laughing at a child’s innocent response from a funny story that they probably should not have shared. Working with these ‘”geniuses in training”, I’ve found that they sure have quite a bit to say if we are willing to listen. Let me ask you a question. If you are an educator, have you ever caught yourself in front of a class and said, “Now…, everyone quiet please so we can get to today’s lesson.” Sound familiar? My hand. Well, guess what friends, our future generation of young learners may be ready to share what we have been waiting to hear. Put aside that well- prepared lesson plan for the day. Go with the flow for a day. Maybe “Johnny” finally grasped the concept between a simile and a metaphor. That’s right, he’s excited, and wants to share. Are we still at the erase board teaching? Or did that “light- bulb” moment pass you by? I plead guilty. Children love praise. Children want to be listen to. So, are there rules to become a better listener? In my opinion, yes.

First, and foremost, don’t stop listening. Second, we need to take our own advice. Ask children open- ended questions; who, what, when, where, and why? Get ready for an ear- full; but that is what we want, right? A child that can have an actual dialogue instead of texting using emojis. Back to the basics. Back to the fundamentals.
My day at the center normally consists of and daily operations; so it is a joy in the late afternoon when the children arrive when we can have our snack together. One particular day, the children were extra ‘spirited’ as they were anticipating their upcoming Spring Break. I had an idea off the lesson plan. Each child had five to 10 minutes to share while we listened. Each had the opportunity to ask their peers if they had questions. To my surprise, I was given many high- fives by the older children and my young ones gave me “squeezes”.
The next day as I was planning my day, the first words out of a second grader was, “Ms. Angela, can we talk again, I loved it.” This caught me off guard at first. As I looked down at his smiling face, I quickly realized that little one was meaning to say was, “Ms.Angela, Can you listen to me…. Again?”

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