Not enough time?

This teenage kid once told me that she used to cry coming to school every day because it made her feel like a dumb rock.

She was very clever. Talk with her the right way and she asked wonderful questions that built on and drilled into things.

I often cite or refer to John Holt in my work with teachers. I love what he said about kids and learning, love how he believed in them and their innate intelligence.

For me, that has to be the starting point for any teacher.

And I’m sure it is for most.

The trouble is, teachers are forced to operate in contexts dominated by pressure and fear. Contexts that don’t trust kids or believe in their intelligence. Contexts that constrain. Contexts that don’t allow our kids to show us who they are.

John Holt said in his book How Children Fail

“We don’t have to make human beings smart. They are born smart. All we have to do is stop doing the things that make them stupid.” (p. 161)

One of those things is trying to get through so much that we leave no time for thinking and connection, no time for people to talk about interesting things.

Is it in your power to slow things down a bit?