There's nothing quite like sharing in the excitement of a child's learning. The wonder in his or her eyes as understanding dawns amply repays the patience-beyond-price you may have invested in getting to that point. I've learned so much in the process of teaching. And what I've learned has kept me young—in the ageless sense of that term. I have yet to grow up!
Engaging children's thinking right where it is, grappling with issues just beyond their present horizon, and empathizing with them are all central to living and working with young people (or with anyone, for that matter). Early on, meeting children where they are may well mean getting down on the floor beside them. Even from that vantage point, though, it doesn't take long to discover that children think more than we know (or than they say), and that they know more than we think. Affording them a little space sometimes encourages this "more" to come out.
I'm convinced that, whether we offer it up close or from just around the corner, the most important thing we can give children is ourselves. Our presence far surpasses presents.
