What inspires a child to learn is a question that teachers and
parents think about all the time. We want to foster a love of
learning in young people, but it can’t be forced upon them, else
they may give up.
What inspires a child to learn is a question that teachers and parents think about all the time. We want to foster a love of learning in young people, but it can’t be forced upon them, else they may give up.
Some kids seem to just have a thirst for knowledge. They read everything they can get their hands on; they ask tons of questions; they sit at the front of the classroom so they don’t get bothered by classmates who might drown out the teacher’s voice.
Others don’t show up to class regularly or at all. Some sit in the back of the room and avoid eye contact with their teacher. Some get frustrated; some get mad; some drop out; some slide by.
As both a teacher and a parent, I’m always thinking about ways to encourage learning. I’ve come to realize that providing structure remains key, but allowing different learning styles to take root is what really ensures long-term success.
When our children are young, they ask question after question after question as they attempt to figure out this big world.
“What is that, Mom?”
“Will I be as tall as you, Dad?”
“Why is that lady so fat?”
“Why do birds fly?”
“Why can’t I fly?”
“Can I have ice cream for breakfast?”
“Why can’t I have ice cream for breakfast?”
“How old are you?”
“Can we get a dog (cat, bird, lizard, snake, fish, hamster…)?”
“Why is there war?”
“Why does Jimmy have two dads?”
“When will that sewer plant get built so the building moratorium will be lifted?”
You know, typical kid stuff.
Adults sometimes tire of these endless questions and tell their kids to stop bothering them and go find something else to do. Maybe the adult figures they’ll just answer the question later. But that assumes the question will be asked again.
Kids’ questions aren’t always asked at a convenient time and we can’t always answer them right away. I keep saying we’re not getting a dog, but the question keeps getting asked.
“We have three fish and a cat” doesn’t count, apparently.
During my family’s recent trip to the East Coast, we spent about a week in Washington, D.C., the museum capital of the world. It’s a great place to go with kids. There literally is too much to see and absorb in a week.
An unintentional though highly rewarding highlight of the trip was watching my 10-year-old marvel at the wonders of the world as displayed in these museums.
At the Natural History Museum, he was as fascinated by the skeleton of a flying squirrel as he was of the bones of a giant sloth. He marveled at his chance to view the actual Declaration of Independence in the National Archives. He insisted that he be given the video camera when we spotted a display of Benitoite – and its accompanying placard indicating that it is found only in his home county.
He asked questions. “Can squirrels really fly?” “Where is George Washington’s signature?” “Is the Washington Monument taller than the Empire State Building?” Even, “Why can’t we bring water onto the airplane?”
He refused to let us pass by a display for fear we may miss something. If it was new to him, it had to be new to us, he figured. He pulled his parents and brother along for this educational journey, and we were glad to oblige.
It is the simplicity of learning that strikes me as I look back with fondness on our summer adventures. It’s far too easy in the midst of our busy lives to put off answering our children’s questions until later, which becomes tomorrow, which sometimes becomes never.
Soon enough, they’ll have all the answers. Hopefully, we are smart enough to be the ones that gave them most of those answers.
Adam Breen teaches journalism and yearbook at San Benito High School. He is former editor of The Free Lance.
