Last night I was on the playground at church with two 5-year-olds. Some other teachers were on the adjoining playground with a group of 4-year-olds. The teachers and the children were blowing bubbles. One teacher complained that her bubble wand was defective. Seeing that the bubble solution was full of foam, I remarked, “The bubbles won’t blow if there is too much foam. We had that problem all the time when we taught 1-year-olds.”
She looked at me and replied, “That sounds like an oxymoron—teaching 1-year-olds!”
Aaaargh!!!! I immediately flashed back 14 years to when I told my aunt that I would be teaching 1-year-olds. “What can a 1-year-old learn?” she asked.
What can’t a 1-year-old learn? They are constantly learning!! They are learning to walk and to talk. They are learning how things feel and how things taste. They are learning that people care about them. They are learning about their world.
As a person who works with children (of any age) I strive to remember the words a wise person once said to me: Children are always learning and when you are with them, you are always teaching. What are they learning from you?
