Show and Tell

Do you listen to those around you?

I'm an elementary school teacher, and I believe we can learn so much from our younger generation, if we just pay attention. 

Kids are honest. They haven't learned to hide their emotions yet, and so they have no filter in how they think and express themselves. They live in the moment and say what they feel. Reactions are often huge to minor things like sharing a toy or reading a situation wrong.

A child can suddenly cry hysterically because of a lost drawing, a grazed knee or even the word "no." Some kids need constant encouragement to do anything where others can work independently.

I love working with kids because they are living in the moment. My days are completely different from one day to the next.

Adults tend to hide their feelings until they can't hold them in. The proverbial floodgates open. Other times they stay silent, hold a grudge or talk behind people's backs.

Kids don't do any of that. Their honesty is pure. They say what they feel and they love attention. 

I have thirty kids in my class and as much as I want to, I cannot spend quality time with each child in every lesson. There's just not enough time. But kids need attention as much as they need education. One way of fixing this is to give them little rewards throughout the day to feel special.

Praise and stickers are popular, but sometimes I go all out and include a time for show and tell. This is where my students bring something in and talk about it. I then ask the class to ask questions about it. They are in charge but I lead / steer the lesson.

When was the last time you stood up in front of a crowd of people and talked about something you truly love?

How would you feel if your colleagues then asked you questions about it?

Kids love show and tell sessions. I could do it with them all day and we would still have things to talk about. We all know kids love to talk, right?

I think it's fantastic and I often take advantage of this to adapt the learning to add a little sparkle.

This week, one of the kids brought in a little plastic dinosaur to show and tell. There were some interesting questions about its features that I then used to pre-teach a math lesson.

Sometimes, the best lessons come from the kids. Their curiosity drives the learning and if it comes from a triceratops, I'm all for it. Learning should be fun and exciting.

We had a stormy day this week with torrential rain. When the rain stopped mid-morning, there was a double rainbow in the sky. My class room erupted with squeals of delight with little noses pressed to the windows. 

I abandoned my math lesson plan, and adapted the learning to include a rainbow. For each color, I got the kids to make an addition to ten. (The kids are first graders). They loved it and every kid wanted to make their special rainbow. They look awesome in my classroom for my parent - teacher conference next week. 

Sometimes, life doesn't unfold the way we planned. Pay attention and see if you can adapt your situation into a different one. A slight change could give you a better perspective.

Change isn't the enemy. Sometimes we create invisible obstacles to situations that don't need them. Be open to flexible thinking. It might make all the difference to your day.

Go on, give it a shot. Let me know how it went.

My name is Lizzy. I'm a trauma survivor, a wife, a mom, a teacher, and an author.

For more about me: www.elizabethwoodsauthor.com

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Here are a few links to my top articles:

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https://medium.com/activated-thinker/looking-for-a-change-f391e85abbd7

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