Finding Inner Peace by Letting Your Students be Your Teachers
Whether your interest is spiritual parenting, being an inspirational teacher, creating inner peace, or bringing out your most playful and creative self, this site is a place to share uplifting ideas and get inspired. If we want authentic relationships, emotional wellbeing, unparalleled joy and creativity, and a path to awaken into the present moment, children are fantastic teachers of these things.
They are little Buddhas, natural Life Coaches, and powerful way-showers of joyful living. Sure, they get upset, but they usually bounce back quickly. They are fluid and free. It is not hard to learn from children, but we often forget to. We just need to remember that we are all teachers and students to each other.
How can we have more fun and learn spiritual wellbeing from children?
What can school teachers, parents, and kids do differently to bring about positive changes?
What vital life lessons do kids naturally teach and what tools can we employ to learn them?
This site is a community to answer these questions and more.
Children teach spiritual truths by example. They teach about creative power, genuineness, spontaneity, courage, being present, and emotional honesty. With every breath, they live what they teach.
For many years I taught juggling to children in after school programs. Typically, on the first day of class I was the teacher. I taught fun hand-eye coordination skills using juggling games, obstacle courses and movement exercises. But by the second class meeting, I turned the tables around and gave the kids a chance to lead. The kids were the juggling teachers and I was the klutzy juggling student!
With the roles reversed, the kids miraculously shed a lifetime’s worth of fear and disempowement. Teaching as a unit, the children would embrace and echo back to me all the suggestions that I had given them during the previous day's lesson: “Concentrate on your throws.” “Don’t worry about dropping!” “Juggling is like a puzzle; pay attention to one piece at a time!”
I was inspired and in awe by their excitement over teaching.
“…and a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11:6)
Though I am not a devoted reader of the bible, the above quote sparks a ‘knowingness’ in me. I know children are teachers, even if I forget it sometimes. We can remind each other. That is why I created this website. It is for parents and teachers to unite and collectively review long-held assumptions about children needing to be constantly taught things or being students only. We are all students and teachers for each other. Please have a look around. Thank you for joining me in this exciting journey.
Yours truly,
Michael Alperstein, Founder of Children as Teachers
Ready to change the world by expanding your perceptions of children? Read more here:
Children as Teachers PDF.pdf (96,4 kB)
This is Nicholas Wendt: My nephew, comrade, and teacher. Thank you for being you.
Shining Examples
Every month we share an inspiring new story or article from around the globe about children as teachers.
Here is this month's article:
20 Practical Life Lessons Kids Can Teach Us
by Marc and Angel
http://www.marcandangel.com/2008/03/19/20-practical-life-lessons-kids-can-teach-us/
http://www.marcandangel.com/
Kids live by their instincts openly and without hesitation. They are enthusiastic about life, eager to learn, and curious about everything. Even though kids still have a lot to learn, just observing them can teach us many practical life lessons. These lessons are simple, yet pertinent to living a healthy, happy and productive life. Spend an afternoon watching a group of kids interact with each other and the world around them. You may be surprised at how clever they are. They handle themselves differently than adults, and there is much we can learn from their behavior.
Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn’t music.'
- William Stafford
Here are 20 practical life lessons kids can teach us:
Live Spontaneously – For better or worse, kids do not plan a thing they do. They live spontaneously, taking in every uncertain moment for all it’s worth. It would be foolish to say that proper time management and planning is unnecessary in adulthood. However, it would also be foolish to ignore all the opportunities that spontaneously present themselves at unplanned instants throughout our lifetime. Occasionally you have to steer off course when you see gold shimmering in your periphery.
Never Let a Lack of Qualifications Deter You – Kids are never concerned with their lack of qualifications. If they have never done something before, they are eager to test the waters. If they fail, they brush themselves off and take another stab at it until they get it right. Qualifications are usually just man-made restrictions proposed to keep passionate newcomers with grand ideas relegated to the margins.
Exercise Can Be Fun – Kids exercise all the time, not because it’s healthy, but because it’s fun. They participate in sports, climb trees, play tag, etc. For some reason we forget that exercise can be fun. It’s just a matter of finding an active, healthy activity we actually enjoy doing.
When Things Go Awry, Laugh and Move On – When kids are dealt an unexpected hand they usually chuckle and work around the issue. There are some things in life we just can’t anticipate. Even with a great deal of planning, it’s very possible that life will throw us a curve ball. We need to greet life’s curve balls with a sense of good humor and proactive fascination.
Keep an Open Mind – A child’s mind is wide open to all the world has to offer. Kids make most of their judgments strictly based on first-hand experience. Few external influences have been present in their lives long enough to poison their judgment, and they are always ready to try something new. As we hit adulthood we become creatures of habit, comfortable in the familiarity of our surroundings. We shy away from anything with an unfamiliar taste. In doing so, we walk away from numerous opportunities and positive experiences.
Other People May Identify Our Abilities First – Kids are not typically proficient at identifying their talents and abilities. A parent or mentor usually notices a child’s abilities and steers the child in the right direction. Adults too can be unconscious of their natural gifts. When something comes naturally to us we tend to overlook its significance. Our friends, family, peers and superiors may be able to clearly recognize our inherent talents and abilities before we do.
Mistakes Can Open Doors to Exciting Opportunities – Unlike adults, kids do not beat themselves up when they make a stupid mistake. Instead, they examine the details of the outcome though curious eyes. Mistakes are often gateways to new experiences and educational growth. They may also expose voids in products and services that could lead to lucrative business opportunities.
Use Your Imagination – Kids can have hours of fun with nothing more than a wooden stick and their imagination. They harness their imagination to discover new things about both themselves and the world around them. It is our imagination that drives both our dreams and our curiosity to chase them. If we lose sight of our imagination, we will never see our dreams through to fruition.
Improvise Along the Way – Kids are rarely mired by hesitation or fear. They usually dive head first into every situation, leaping over hurdles and improvising their approach when they must. Sometimes we over-analyze our next move and hesitate in fear they we may not get it right. Truthfully, the chances are slim of ever getting it 100% right the first time. It’s usually more practical to plan your general course of action, get some forward momentum, and map out the details as they come over the horizon.
Learn by Imitation – Kids observe the people around them with enthusiastic intensity. They typically mimic the actions that work and ignore the ones that don’t. As we grow older we tend to become less observant, instead relying solely on formal instruction for expanding our skill set. We forget how well we learned when we were young by simply observing others.
Play – Playing comes naturally to kids because play time is fun time, and kids love to have fun. As we get older we forget how great it feels to let loose and play around. There doesn’t always have to be a purpose behind our actions. Sometimes it’s healthy to fool around and engage in recreation for the sole purpose of having fun.
Be Creative and Do it Your Way – As I stated earlier, kids dive head first into most everything they do. They don’t always stop to ask for guidance, but instead figure it out for themselves along the way. This can lead them to uncover innovative, improved methods for accomplishing things. If you have a creative idea about how to accomplish something faster, smarter or better than the current method, do it your way and see what happens. You’ll never know unless you try.
Express Your Feelings – Kids wear their feelings all over their face, visible for all to see. You never have to guess as to whether they are happy, sad, angry or indifferent. You know the answer immediately just by looking at them. Adults, on the other hand, conceal their feelings from others, making it much more difficult to read their reaction and determine how they feel. Openly expressing your feelings makes communication easier and maintains sincerity in your life.
Be Fully Aware of Your Surroundings – The immediate surroundings are a kid’s playground. They explore every facet of their environment down to the finest detail. In doing so they find things an adult would never have seen. You must be fully aware of what’s going on around you in order to take action accurately. Keen awareness is the key to resolving complex problems and innovating new designs.
Start Everyday with Enthusiasm – Kids hit the ground running every morning with sheer enthusiasm. They don’t resist the idea of starting a new day. They are excited to be alive and absolutely pumped-up for the new experiences that lie ahead. Life is much more rewarding and enjoyable when you quit resisting it. No day will ever be exactly like today. Don’t waste it.
Ask Lots of Questions – Why…? How…? Are we there yet? When kids are not involved in an activity, they are asking an endless series of questions. Not every question will get an answer, but many will, and this is probably the second best source learning outside of firsthand experience. We should never refrain from asking questions. You’ll never get an answer to a question you never ask.
Be Honest and Call It Like It Is – As I stated earlier, kids don’t hide their feelings, they are honest to a fall. They call every shot just like they see it, the moment it happens. Open honesty in conjunction with clear communication builds strong character and healthy relationships with others. People will listen to you if they trust that you are speaking honestly.
Pursue Your Curiosity – Kids are driven by curiosity, constantly in pursuit of the unknown. Curiosity guides their education and influences their path forward. Following our curiosity expands our horizons and often leads us to brilliant personal discoveries.
Enjoy Life’s Simple Pleasures – Put a kid in a puddle and watch him cheerfully splash around. Give a kid permission to chase the cat around the house for a couple minutes, the giggles will be contagious. Or just tickle a kid until he is beet red from laughter. All of these are simple pleasures that children love to partake in. It should serve as a reminder that some of the best things in life are free.
Nurture and Value Your Relationships – There are few things kids love more than hanging out with their friends. If it were up to them, they would never leave their friends’ side. Kids admire, respect, and trust their friends unconditionally. They look forward to their arrival and miss them when they’re gone. Healthy personal relationships are one of the keys to happiness. Sure, life gets busier as we get older, but we should never let our busy schedules keep us from the people we care about most.
If you have a story or article about children as teachers, or if you have a story about something you've learned from children, we'd love to read it. Please read our submission guidelines here: kidsasteachers.webnode.com/submissions/
Our vision for this site is to create a thriving community which recognizes the importance of learning from children.
Though we expect this project to evolve, here is some of what we envision:
* Support groups for parents. We can use the wisdom of the collective to brainstorm and change hard situations for the better.
* A book of collected true stories about how children can be of service and share powerful spiritual truths.
* Book projects where children are the authors.
* Workshops for adults to erase limiting mindsets that block the sense of equality between adults and kids.
* Guest speakers, downloadable talks, and book readings.
* Group meditation events to return ourselves and our kids to the present moment.
* Events for single parents looking for support and community.
Other ideas are percolating. Someday we may have advertisers on the site or sell toys and products that facilitate kids to teach, but for now this is something we are doing because it excites us. We need help with it! We welcome any suggestions or volunteer efforts.
Money helps too. It would help us get the word out, hold meetings and events, and create a more dynamic site.
If you would like to see this project expand to a larger audience, please consider making a donation of any amount.
Occasionally I will send out emails with news, helpful tips, locations of meetings and events, and announcements of new services or products.