AVRUM'S BLOG is hosted and authored by me, Avrum Rosensweig, the founder and president of Ve'ahavta: The Canadian Jewish Humanitarian & Relief Committee. I am also a writer, artist and a father.
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B'shalom, Avrum (avrum@veahavta.org) 
My friend Tammy teaches children, girls about eight years old. She is new to teaching and told me she loves it. She said there have been three times when girls came to her crying. One of the girls cried because she said she didn’t feel talented or special. Tammy had her class mates write a letter to her – about 20 – to tell her how special and talented they feel she is. Sometimes I am amazed that children feel and are able to express such ‘mature’ feelings. Imagine being 8 and thinking you’re not special. Damn. That must suck. Have you ever considered that?
A Bahia friend told me that he used to teach young children, six year old. He loved it. It was a part time gig for him, in a Bahia temple – a sort of after school, and Sunday school. Initially when they asked him if he wanted to teach ten year olds. He said ‘no’, just the five year olds. Once one of the children came to school very sad. My friend said okay we’re going to play the ‘psychology’ game and they did. The kid who was unhappy told the rest of the class about his feelings. He said he didn’t think he was a good boy. You know — had a bad self-image (how that happens so young is nuts). The class then set about being the psychologists. Each one of them told him something really nice about how they felt about him. He didn’t know his classmates thought he was such a good guy. Have you ever thought that, you know that you are not a very nice person or decent individual and then someone comes along and tells you they think you are just so incredible?
I learn so much from my son, who is 2 years and 10 months old. I don’t say that as a clichéd idea but because its true.
A
Bahia friend told me that he used to teach young children, six year old. He loved it. It was a part time gig for him, in a Bahia temple – a sort of after school, and Sunday school. Initially when they asked him if he wanted to teach ten year olds. He said ‘no’, just the five year olds. Once one of the children came to school very sad. My friend said okay we’re going to play the ‘psychology’ game and they did. The kid who was unhappy told the rest of the class about his feelings. He said he didn’t think he was a good boy. You know — had a bad self-image (how that happens so young is nuts). The class then set about being the psychologists. Each one of them told him something really nice about how they felt about him. He didn’t know his classmates thought he was such a good guy. Have you ever thought that, you know that you are not a very nice person or decent individual and then someone comes along and tells you they think you are just so incredible?
I learn so much from my son, who is 2 years and 10 months old. I don’t say that as a clichéd idea but because its true. Have you every considered that we truly learn from young children, I mean truly?
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We learn from people; not just from children. Children are the same people, just the height is a bit different.