Radio Commentary
The skills required in a classroom are
many and varied.
Children need to know how to take
turns, make compromises, approach unfamiliar children, obey those in authority,
and be generally nice to others.
Then they are socially ready to learn.
But no one is born with these skills. They come from repeated interactions with
other children at an early age.
Keep in mind that not all the
interactions must be positive and pleasant. Children need to understand that
others can be unfair and unkind, but that they should not act that way in
return.
If young children are never exposed to
adversity they will be much less likely to be able to deal with it when it
invariably arises in situations both inside and outside the classroom.
We like to protect our children from
unpleasantness, but at some point they must be able to deal with life’s
adversities as well.
So let your children interact with
others, and don’t be too quick to intervene in the normal squabbles that can
arise.
As long as all seems within normal
bounds, let them work it out, and learn valuable lessons in the process.
