Lessons I Learned From Kids

Written by Mary Stephenson

The vision testing in the local schools has been a very interesting experience.  Not only the frustrations of the technical nature which we have experienced for the past month but being an observer.

Innocence of small children can leave you with warm fuzzy feelings and smiles.

One recent experience was Jim trying to get kids to laugh.  He was joking around with a couple of twin boys.  After 4 tries and not even a smile, although their classmates were laughing so much they couldn’t sit still.  He couldn’t even get an annoyed reaction out of them.  The take away from this… some people are just not born with a sense of humor!  Probably easy for their parents to raise them as they would not be inclined to try pranks.

The kids at Sycamore were quiet and polite.  Probably from all the training that is in place for them in the school.

So the other day we went to Cypress School.  We had started with a 4 chair line-up.  With the rest of the kids on the floor and each would move forward one as we tested them.  That worked fine until the fifth graders arrived and instead of sitting on the floor or standing to wait, they decided to line-up more chairs.  Which was fine until we got to one kindergarten class.

Most of the kids got to sit on the chairs.  They were so busy looking around and we had to keep telling them to move to the next chair.  Then it was time for “little missy” to sit on a chair.

I feel sorry for the teacher, “little missy” meant well but as far as she was concerned these kids needed help.  She was jumping out of her chair moving them forward.  Then would run back to her chair and also trying to get them out of her chair.  It was hilarious, but let me tell you we were wore out by the time she was finally tested.  She smiled for the camera and sat perfectly still.  Oh how badly she wanted to stay and keep the kids moving.  We had to escort her out the door and tell her to go back to class.  Honestly I expected to see her outside the door directing the kids to go back to class.

She was a bright child and she probably volunteers for everything with no fear.  She is only 5 so she can’t become a Lion yet, but her enthusiasm is motivating!

Lessons learned: 

      – Try to have a good sense of humor, even if you have to fake it. 

      – Laughing at yourself is good medicine for not only you but for others.

      – Smile a lot.  Be brave.  If no one wants to be in charge step up and see

         if you can.  Maybe others won’t really mind at all.

      – Have a good attitude and you can accomplish almost anything before

         people really get annoyed. 

      – You can be a leader even if you are only 5 years old!