This week, I went out with my students; to spend the day at the beach, we did yoga; we played running; jumping, and all kinds of activities that the environment where we were allowed us. For a moment I closed my eyes and in that period of time, I heard the laughter, the songs, that scampering through the sand... and I thought about how happy we can make children, with less rigidity and more acceptance. That time will not come back and each one already lives their own realities, some quite hard for their age, and we as educators can make learning more bearable, if we delve into them a little. There I corroborated that they need rewards, and as David Bueno affirms, they are not prizes; they are looks of approval and reinforcement, on what they are doing. On that beach my partner and I witnessed those gestures where they demanded approval.
That game and sport that we did there is another help, to activate their neuronal plasticity, that plasticity that shapes their brain, and thus, we will achieve as educators; acquire new learning.
Sometimes as parents; we want our children to learn to read and write; ahead of time, and we make them competitive.
Of course we must enhance their skills but let's not sacrifice their playtime.
Some arrive to class exhausted; because they have many extracurricular activities. It is necessary to respect this magical stage; to have emotionally healthy children. From the age of 6 they are able to move from a displeasing emotion to a pleasant one.
This reflection that I make to myself, in favor of that teaching and happy children; is a learning for me as a teacher.
Finally, let's not force their little heads beyond their limits. As teachers we must be very prudent with what we say, we are their role models and to correct we must not humiliate or make them feel frustrated, we have a very rich language and sometimes we reduce it and we can achieve an unfavorable effect. If they are overwhelmed, says Álvaro Bilbao, let's give calm and not join their chaos. What children find difficult is remembering and not studying. Transferring what they are learning to real life will be the best game for their brain.
Playing is also an important subject.
Juani Alemán Hernández
