Tonight I met with a parent. One night last week her big almost-11-year-old son climbed into her bed and bawled his eyes out.
No one likes me!
She called me names!
He’s turned everyone in the class against me!
Nobody understands!
Sometimes when we hear concerns like these, brought in such a passionate, emotional way, it’s easy to dismiss them as expressions of pre-teen angst. The world is so vivid for these lively youngsters it’s no surprise that they are sometimes overwhelmed by their emotions.
But, this doesn’t mean that we should dismiss it all as a passing phase. Quite the opposite! We should grasp any opportunity for growth and learning with two strong hands!
How can I take this situation and work it through with the students so they not only feel better about the outcome but they’ve learned how they can begin to seek out that satisfying solution themselves? Every situation of strife is a gift — a chance to learn (and teach!) something new.
So, we’ll talk it through (but not too much). We’ll reassure each other that we really care (a lot). And we’ll all learn a little more about life in the process (we hope).
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