Honesty and Openness

The innocence, the forthrightness, the honesty, experienced in abundance from fifth graders on down to kindergarten is awesome. The experiences of honest displays of affection are something most people do not experience. Do I love it when students swarm me out at recess? Do I love it when children come to my office to show me something they have drawn? Do I love it when a child spontaneously takes my hand as I walk down the hall? YES!! Can you have this experience in any other job? No.

It’s not just the overt display behaviorally; it’s also the honesty in their words. Children keep a person grounded. When I (at age 43) have a pimple, they notice, they point it out. If I’m inconsistent, they are not quiet about it, they point it out. If they love the kudos they receive for performing well academically or behaviorally – they certainly let you know. They laugh and they cry easily; the young people I work with everyday let you know what they are thinking and feeling.
Somewhere around sixth and seventh grade, this openness and honesty disappear.

I know the affection and honesty was never present in my other jobs I’ve had as an adult. Construction, fire fighting, surveying, I could never imagine the honesty and openness occurring in these other vocations.

In a way, it’s also sad that we can never recapture that time in our lives. That time before our hearts were truly broken. That time before we worried about being cool. That time before bills, and stress, and when we were basically only concerned with the superfluous. Children are a blessing.