Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/a-manner-of-speaking/5023396/
Children have been watching us. They tracked us as we voted or didn’t, as we cheered or wept. They hear what we say and watch what we do as we continue to discuss events and debate ideas. Children gather information from the adults in their lives, and process what they see and hear to make sense of it all. As parents and teachers, grandparents and grocery clerks, waitpersons, gardeners, police officers, delivery people and custodians — all the adults in children’s lives — we have been offering them a lot to think about. And we must be confusing them enormously. We are not walking our talk.
From their beginnings in our care, we have coached children to share. But do they perceive a spirit of generosity at work in the world today? We teach children to use their words when their emotions are strong. Do they see us using our words with respect and a genuine effort to comunicate and understand each other?
Children are expected to make a place for everyone. We work with them to develop the skills necessary to include everyone in their play — children with different histories, cultures, and abilities. Do they see us making room in our ...