Childhood can be a time of uncertainty, fear of rejection from our peers and the struggle to understand some of lives more basic truths.  It is also a time when education plays a pivotal role in not only teaching the 123’s and ABC’s, but also in shaping behaviors.

Despite what people think, a parent’s role is shared with the world at large.  As soon as a child is released from the home they will be influenced by what they see—this is why the kindergarten and grade school teachers roles re so important.

Such a teacher is the child’s introduction to education.  They can inspire a love of learning that creates a never-ending thirst to obtain more knowledge.  On the flipside they cause an apathetic even fearful approach toward learning.

Examples from my own childhood come to mind.

My father was in the military so my sister and I ended up being typical army brats. Because of this, we never settled in once place for long.  During one stint in a California town, I happened upon a  first grade I met a teacher named Mr. Justice.  This teacher was very encouraging and kind, seeing my budding interest in writing and cultivating it.  My weakest subject however was math, and this fact caused me to stick with what I knew well, which was spelling and stringing together a sentence or two.  Mr. Justice noticed this and took special care to introduce math to me in ways that were fun.   

One day Mr. Justice began giving out little trophies for students who excelled in math.  I slumped in my chair sure I wouldn’t receive an award since I was still struggling despite my improvement.  Imagine my surprise when my name was called and I was given a trophy for never giving up and finally mastering addition and subtraction!

This award lifted my spirits and made me try harder until I was just as good in that department as in writing.

I cried when we had to move once again, and doubly horrified when I met my next teacher—a mean spirited cuss whose name, to this day, escapes me.  In my mind, the woman hated kids and the class was sheer torture to even sit in. On a daily basis, children were ridiculed for asking questions and certain little ones selected for mental abuse.

When we moved again, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Today, I ponder the two styles of teaching and their outcome. Whatever the conclusions of these musings, one thing cannot be argued; a child should be gently nudged towards success by capable teachers who are smart enough to nurture the very aspects of childhood behavior that we secretly envy once we get older.