Lessons from a Second-Grader

There are lessons I have learned from the summer art-camp group I have been teaching the last two weeks. From the mouths of babes... or more like the actions.

* there are eons of difference between a seven-year-old and an eleven-year-old

* some children can't be coaxed, talked into, or forced to do their assigned activity

* there is no task to simple to be complicated by endless questions

* wherever you can go wrong, a young child will

* some people truly do just ENJOY getting on the nerves of others

I have two sessions of about 6 or 7 children, ranging from the ages of 7 to 11. Going into this summer session, I had never thought about the fact that a seven-year-old might not be able to tie his shoes, let alone do an embroidery project. On the flip-side, the eleven-year-olds were going to fly through the activities so quickly that I couldn't even keep them busy for an hour and fifteen minutes. Oof.