Inspiration

As I walked down the hall the other day, I greeted a child who looked a bit sad, so I asked the inevitable question, "What's wrong?" 

She answered, "I don't really want to go on the break."   

In my mind, I was thinking, "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!  Who wouldn't want a break?  Teachers have been counting this thing down since a week before Thanksgiving..."  What I said out loud was, "Oh really?  Why not?"

"'Cause I loooove learning.  I don't wanna miss school,” she said.

Now that one threw me.  I'm hardly ever at a loss for words--EVER.  But what was I supposed to say to that one?   "Oh," was all I managed. Certainly something much more "teacheresque" should have come out--reminiscent of one of those Hollywood movies that are "based on a true story."  You know the ones I'm talking about.  The young, idealistic brand-new teacher struggles to gain the acceptance of the incorrigible, usually delinquent class that hates her very existence.  But then in the middle of the movie she says that one thing that changes the course of their relationship, the school year, and yes, most definitely, the movie.  Everyone remembers the quote and it suddenly becomes the quote of the year.  This, clearly, was not one of those moments.

I began to wonder about that child and the few (so very few) like her.  What inspires children such as this to loooove learning?  A parent?  A teacher?  Learning itself?  I've been in education for nearly two decades (Oh man, that's a long time!), and I have encountered hundreds of different kinds of students--the one who could care less about school, but likes you so he comes anyway; the student who doesn't like school or you or anyone else for that matter (his mom made him come.  He really doesn't like her.)  The creative student who feels rather than thinks (about nearly everything) and takes the extra time to draw pictures and write poetry about the objects that no one else (NO ONE ELSE) notices--like the gum on the bottom of the desk--usually at top of the essay that you asked for a week ago.  And then there's the student who is self-motivated.  Any teacher in public education (and I'm not talking about magnet schools) can tell you that, unfortunately, they don't see as many of these as they would like.  This is the one who comes to school every day, probably has had a perfect attendance record since kindergarten, and may or may not have a supportive parent at home.  He gets straight A's, regardless of the class he's in, and has a positive attitude despite that fact that he's in the class from you-know-where!

So what is it that drives this kind of kid to go above and beyond, regardless of obstacles or apathy from his fellow classmates?  Judging by my less than eloquent answer to that nine year old, I'm a bit fuzzy on this one.  So I asked some educators to weigh in on the subject.  Overwhelmingly, people told me that children are inspired by the passion or enthusiasm of others.  Jane Fetters, English Teacher at Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee and former Teacher of the Year, said, "Children are inspired by people who are passionate about what they are teaching or doing.  Learning can be contagious."  Ahhh...now wouldn't it be nice if every student could catch this? 

Bruce Curtis, the Discipline Coordinator for Metro Schools in Nashville, agrees. He said that inspiration comes to children by "the inspiration and enthusiasm of those that are teaching them...It’s simple," he said, "but that is the key to getting a child to learn."  Hmmm... Now why didn't I think of that?  They also said that kids are inspired by having real world experience, through hands-on learning (now that's good teacher-language!), and by example.  So does that mean that I can't do any and everything and post it on a social networking site and expect children to do as I say, not as I do?  Okay, okay.  That's a topic for another blog.  The point I think, being made by these people is that kids are watching. 

Right behind passion, people told me that building relationships with children is what truly inspires them to learn.  Now isn't that the very thing that all the research says inspires adults?  Interesting. Tesia Morton, a Mentor Teacher in Nashville says that it is love that inspires children to learn. She told me, "From my experience with all children that I have encountered...[When] you love them; you have captured their hearts and minds!"  Now that is a movie-quote that you take home with you!