Careful the things you say...

" Careful the things you say
Children will listen
Careful the things you do
Children will see and learn
Children may not obey, but children will listen
Children will look to you for which way to turn
To learn what to be
Careful before you say "Listen to me"
Children will listen "

- (Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods)

For those of you who don't know me all that well, I grew up with a few things;

1) Watching, over and over, Stephen Sondheim's musical "Into the Woods"

2) Summer camp

3) Being taught that creativity, free thought, encouragement, happiness, and love are the most important things that anyone, especially children, can have in their lives.

I spent three days helping out at a summer camp in Lezhe, ran through the Bashkia for children of poor families, with much help from my fellow Peace Corps volunteers and friends up in Lezhe. Although there were many songs sang this weekend, the one that I have posted is the one which continually played in my head the entire weekend. 
                 

 But why?

A common way of teaching/working with kids in this country is yelling at them and giving them directions of what to do. This weekend for many became about a few colored teams, and gaining points to win the giant competition. Not that I am against competition, I'm just against unhealthy competition. What good are we really doing when we yell at a child who already feels like she can't do much of anything? What are we teaching when we make it all about winning, not even telling the kids to finish if they are not in first place? Why do kids need to be absolutely attentive and quiet and in straight lines, and why do we get so angry if they do their own thing? I watched all weekend as adults stepped in and told the children what to do for skits completely overriding the childrens' original ideas, or yelled at them to run faster, be quieter,  and stand in straighter lines. These actions led me to an extreme sadness at one point, but when I told my friends that it hurt me how children are not encouraged, and creativity is not fostered they just gave me a look and said something along the lines of

"Relax, these kids are having

more fun than they have in a long time..."

Well maybe this is true. Maybe they are enjoying the games, but careful the things you say, children will listen....

1) We say go faster and they can't -- they listen I am not good enough.

2) We say don't finish somebody else already won -- They listen to just give up.

3) We say it's all about a prize -- They listen to only do for themselves and to win and gain. 

4) We say listen -- They listen to rely on other people and not themselves.

5) We say listen -- And they listen but can no longer think.

And these children will someday grow up, these children will become the business men, municipality workers, shop owners, waiters, mothers, and fathers of Albania. 

So Careful the things you do...

Children will look to you for which way to turn

To learn what to be