I've had a bit of a break from classroom teaching the last few weeks and it's given me time to look back on the last year and reflect - not about what I taught the thousand or so children I had the pleasure of spending time with, but what I learned.
Boogers are funny.
Farts are funny.
Food that looks like boogers is funny.
Making fart sounds is funny.
I also learned that kids like mad skills and I brushed up on a couple of mine. I can now draw a fire breathing smoke belching very fierce dragon in under 15 seconds. I can now turn my feet backwards even further than before.
Mad skills I was introduced to and haven't mastered: popping elbows or shoulders or wrists or any other joint out of their sockets and right back in. Making realistic fart noises.
I also learned that kids have fears.
Farting in public.
Some cafeteria food.
Looking dumb.
The list goes on. They're also afraid of:
Being told they're dumb.
Being told they're too fat or ugly or not cool in the least.
Being told they're worthless.
But the best thing I learned from kids is how brave they are. I've seen them get hit square in the soul with some these very scary fears. And then I've seen them get right back in the game - amazing.
As an artist and a writer it can be hard to venture out into a new medium. Rejection looms and when it does hit us squarely in the soul we can feel dumb, not cool in the least - completely worthless.
But so what? We can change the way we feel. We're adults. We have CONTROL over the way we feel. Get back in the game. Work on your mad skills. Some things are scary, like zombies or leeches - or loss. Seriously, rejection just doesn't stack up against those heavy hitters. It's merely annoying.
Remember.
Boogers are funny.
