Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/wonder/5024882/
Nature’s Way of Helping Children Be Who They Are
by Tina Reeble, curator of Wonder on behalf of NACC
You are a very special person. There is only one just like you. There’s never been anyone exactly like you in the history of the earth, and there never will be again. And people can like you just because you’re you.
—Mister Rogers
Today is the last Friday of the school year where I live. As I write this, my sons are finishing portfolios and preparing for final exams. Their efforts are driven by external expectations and evaluations, messaging they’re receiving from their teachers… set by the school system to get the best grade because it will impact their high school grade point average, which influences the college they will be able to attend, which informs the education they’ll need for their future career path. I see them tired, defeated and resigned to the judgment they will receive that once again labels them as “needs improvement” or “average.” I sometimes lie awake at night pondering my growing concerns about their self-esteem. I think back to experiences in their past when my view of them was very different. When they seemed joyful, deeply engaged and ...