The other night I was talking with a fellow painter, who also happens to be a retired teacher. The conversation began easily enough, with a discussion about art. At some point, I asked her if she draws. She said that yes, she does draw and always has. She then went on to tell me how she figured out fairly early that she learns and processes information better while drawing or doodling. Having accepted her own learning style, she recognized similar patterns in her children when they were small. She said that when one of her kids’ teachers complained about the child doodling in class, she – as the child’s mother and kindred spirit – told the teacher flat-out that her child must be allowed to draw during class, as that child was a “kinetic learner.” Her insistence enabled her child to shine in class.
I loved her story and it made me think about learning in a way I hadn’t considered. That alone would have been enough to have labeled the conversation as cool, but the retired teacher went on to tell me about some things she’d practiced with certain students in her classes. She said that kids with ADD or ADHD have such a hard time staying still during class, that allowing them to fidget is actually productive. She told me how she’d taken otherwise disruptive students to the side and given them space to fidget in their seats. For the most part, that bit of physical freedom was enough to enable their brains to kick in and perform in class. She also said that since retiring, she’s heard about giving balance ball chairs to challenging kids in the classroom. Apparently, the physical activity required to stay upright on such chairs occupies the body’s fidgety needs and the brain can then focus on work. All of this was novel to me. I’d never heard of any of it. And she was so committed to helping these kids, because, as she put it, “It’s sheer torture for kids like that to have to try and sit still and concentrate in class.” Wow. It never occurred to me to even consider that aspect of what some kids go through.
I’m no teacher. And I’m child-free. I don’t know squat about kids. I will probably never use the information shared with me the other night. But it’s nice to know. And anything that opens my eyes to seeing the world with more love is fab. Word.