Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/uh-oh...-are-we-in-trouble/5025580/
There is no more singular dread for a child than the feeling of being in trouble. The all-encompassing sensation that you have irrevocably messed up causes such a ripple effect from your mistake that things feel as though they will never recover. The worst part of this is undoubtedly the adult reactions to your mistake.
The thing about being a child and making mistakes is that the speed of play and the excitement of peers creates just the right energy for all rational thought to cease. These seemingly mindless moments create the joy of play, without a doubt. Wild abandon lets us shed inhibitions, along with the proprioceptive safety measures that are usually employed when we interact with the spaces around us. A certain amount of joy and freedom can ensue when we stop correcting ourselves and let loose.
Currently I fill two roles, one as an educator who seeks to manage a classroom successfully with agreements and guidelines that allow everyone to be safe and happy. The other as a former child who was often in trouble. I can picture with such profound clarity the expression of disappointment on my teachers’ or parent’s faces after I had done something “bad.” The action ...