It dawned on me today while listening to a guest Rabbi, speaking to our Christian congregation about mountains, paths up them and the mysterious uniqueness of each one. Now, I’m not the brightest bulb in the box, but it really resonated with me; Children are Mountains! Each is distinct and exceptional and should be looked upon as such. Mountains AND children can explode. Each can crumble. They can grow, melt, become dormant, implode, morph, blossom, change forms, AND. SO. MUCH. MORE!
We have now passed the ⅓ point of the school year. Teachers are tired, I get it. We put a TON on them; expectations, curriculum, committees, tasks and much more and we need to support them, but without those Mountains, OUR CHILDREN, We have nothing. Our teachers are magicians, scientists, artists, creators, originators and more! So now is the time. It is NOT too late to connect, embrace, watch, listen, empathize, laugh with, honor, love, hold and most importantly; BE THERE FOR.
These younglings, our future, must each be given the chance. Yes, they may act out, or rebel, or yell and scream, throw a desk and disrupt us all. But we are the leaders. The mentors. The key to their success. While they may go dormant, or even erupt like Mount Vesuvius, it is our we, the educators that must dig deep into our tools, or colleagues tools, or find an iteration of a tool that hasn’t worked to connect with our little mountains.
We can’t give up, or say it’s too late, or wait until tomorrow. We. Must. Act. Now. All of us must encourage this practice and together, find a way. Look at the inside, the smile, that little glimpse of hope inside each of them. Their meek little innocence that burns inside, just wants to be loved, nurtured, noticed and given a chance. Don’t turn your back. Or yell. Or send them out of the room. Get down on your knees, smile, speak softly and say “I care about you”. “I may not understand, but I want to help”. Can we do that? For Every Child?
Like a mountain’s extraordinary and infinite detail, our young darlings will do things that we cannot imagine are possible. If we only believe! Have we exhausted all options? What have we NOT DONE? Called home? Invited in for lunch? Offered to play a game? Stopped by home? Told a joke? Asked what THEY want to learn?
I ask you now. Don’t ignore, or turn your back, but pay attention and notice each beating heart. They will surprise you, if given that idea that My Teacher Believes I CAN! While a mountain may take hundreds, thousands, and even millions of years to grow and reach their peak, we can’t wait another second. I'm not asking you to MOVE a mountain, but just to notice one and pay attention. Please Act Now. For Every. Beautiful. Young Being.
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