The Natural Flow of Learning

As I am transitioning out of traditional schooling/teaching, I am amazed at how I am now so sensitive to how natural it is for children to be thinking beings. Back in December my current school's music teacher quit. They asked me to create a simple music program to finish the year (all while still teaching kindergarten). So since January, I would meet with grades k-5 once a week and we would just sing songs and play simple songs on the recorder. Today was the performance and it was amazing. As I was setting up for tonight's program, I had no help really. So my 8 little kindergarten angels helped me! I had to print off the programs and so I asked the students to go to the sanctuary and count how many chairs need programs. They did that. I needed 80. I ran them off and then asked my little Einsteins "If I have 80 programs and there are 8 of you, how many should each of you get to put on the chairs?" Their minds start working. They start talking, then I see them count each other, by 10s ( I hope you get that). They yell out "10!!!" I was so proud of them. Then we went to put the programs on the chairs. They're running all around the sanctuary, putting programs on chairs. They run back to me for more programs (we needed a few more than 80 it turns out). I had plenty of extras. Some would say, "I need 5." But I would give them 3. They'd say, "Mrs. Prather, that's not enough!" Then I'd say, well how many more do you need (with a grin on my face). And they'd say, "I need 2 more!" And this is how it went on. Oh this is good! Learning while living. Well we finished setting up the sanctuary and my boss comes in and sees all the chairs neatly laid with programs (I had some students go through and make sure each paper was straight...on their own). She asked me who helped. I told her my kids did. She said, "Wow! They are so bright! They did this? I so underestimate little people!" Oh, if children are just given a chance to let their brains work freely, without interruption, the outcome will amaze you every time.