‘Teacher! I know how to change my clothes!!!!!’
Yes, with multiple exclamation marks because this student was ecstatic that she had mastered a new skill: Dressing up on her own.
The first 2 weeks was a struggle for her. Granted, as a 7 year old, mom and dad would always help her get dressed up. So when she had to get herself changed from school clothes to PE clothes, vice versa, she got very frustrated, and would end up crying to vent her frustrations out.
Over the past few days, I have had the chance to speak to several parents and I was enlightened by a consistent comment.
“My daughter/son has become more confident and has become more matured.”
“My child used be cry over small things. That has stopped since coming to Abedeen.”
Their children learned to grow up. As I was further chatting with the parents, we discovered that giving them a responsibility was the motivation. They were excited. They wanted to voice their ideas. They wanted to prove themselves.