Listen to Children

One of the biggest challenges plaguing our educational system today stems from the simple fact that we do not spend enough time listening to the young people that we are supposed to be educating. Children are smart. They have interesting lives to share and heartfelt stories to tell. They have beliefs, and truths, and dreams that need to be nurtured. They have ears to listen with - and they DO listen, even when it seems like they are only staring out the windows, sending test messages on their phones, talking to the people next to them. They listen and they absorb information and they watch and they learn and, I think, they hope that we really have the tools to help them in all the ways they need to be helped and the hearts to care in all the ways they need to be cared for. What would happen if all of the people making the most important educational decisions in the United States today took the time to talk less and listen more. I wonder if we wouldn't start to see some of the changes that we so desperately need. I wonder what kind of humility these kinds of leaders would possess and what kind of respect they would earn from the young people they serve.