Life lessons from Head Start

I've now been in my clinical placement at a Head Start on the north side of the city for seven weeks.  On a daily basis I work with anywhere between 25-50 kids doing language-centered learning in the classroom, and another 4-5 children individually for speech and language therapy.  I've learned so much in such a short time and I could reflect on about 100 professional ways I've grown.  What I really want to reflect on, though, is a life lesson I've learned from these little people.

Children aged 3-5 are so much fun.  They're cute.  They say hilarious things.  They rarely pronounce my name correctly (I get called everything from Ms. Sexy to Ms. Chunky, no kidding).  They have good days and bad days.  They all have strengths and challenges. 

Most intriguing to me is this - they say what they mean and they mean what they say.  If they don't like you or don't trust you, you know it.  If they do, they show you.  They smile at you.  They hold your hand.  They stick to your side like Velcro.  They may even try to give you hugs and kisses (which is not allowed at Head Start, but I sometimes wish it were since some of them seem so starved for affection).  Most importantly, they tell you.  They tell you exactly how much they like you and if they think you're fun or boring.  I love this about them.

As one who is inclined to always assume that most people do not like me, I find it so refreshing.  It has inspired me to be more honest with the people I care about, to tell them just how I feel.  I suppose that many think I'm a little strange for saying what I think and feel, but maybe, like me, they like it.

I've been trying to not only tell those I like that I like them, but what I like about them.  This is a difficult thing to do because you risk being rejected.  You risk being ridiculed and thought of as strange.  I've learned from these kids, though, that I just don't care.  I'm going to keep on telling people that I love them and why I love them and hope that it will make a difference in their lives.  It certainly has in mine.



(Video via Abraham Piper)

Conversations with kids: Why?

I'm learning a lot taking care of two kids once a week. The chil'ins (as I like to call them) are age 2 and 4. Most of our conversations go something like this...
Chil'ins- "Why?"
Chelsea- I give them brilliant answers.
Chil'ins- "Why?"
Chelsea- Oh, an opportunity to show them how smart I am!
Chil'ins- "But, why?"
Chelsea- Wow, they are very curious.
8 rounds later
Chelsea- "I don't know."

Really, I think they just want to hear me say, "I don't know." As soon as I do, they change the topic, and the process begins again. Why is it that "I don't know" satisfies them, but other answers do not?

Colloquial Obnoxiousness

I have a list of pet peeves. Well, not a real list on paper, but a list in my head. One sub-list contains words and phrases that I find particularly obnoxious. You could find these slang terms on it.

1. vacay (vacation)
2. tinis (martinis)
3. drunkies (people who consumed too much alcohol)

I suppose that sometimes it isn't the words themselves, but the person who uses them that gets on my nerves. Related to this, I have a severe disdain for LOL speak (u kno, like all the kidz r using these dayssss. lol. its sooo bad it makes my skin crawlll but they loveee it! lol) However, I could write a whole other post on that.

What words or phrases would make your list?

Words Mean Something

The idea that each word has a weight of its own, a meaning, has been the recurring theme in my communication disorder classes. Sometimes I give great consideration to my own words and the words of others. Other times, I speak and listen with little thought. The following words, which I first heard several years ago, have meant something to me. Each time I hear them, they speak a particular truth about my life, about all of us. Today, they have echoed in my ears.

In the economy of mercy
I am a poor and begging man
The currency of Grace
is where my song begins
In the colors of Your goodness
in the scars that mark Your skin
In the currency of Grace
is where my song begins

Their original context is the song "Economy of Mercy" by Switchfoot. On their own, they are extremely poetic. In the context of the song, I like them even more. The title words strike me most. I know not how to give more weight to words which, in my mind, are already so heavy. I can only say that I have no currency but the grace of God. For that, I praise the Lord above.