June 2022

He’s impossible- he just won’t stop crying! This was the conclusion that the teachers in a local preschool reached about a student who repeatedly came to school unsettled and upset. They had tried everything they knew to do, and he simply would not relent or join in on the class activities. Feeling fed up, they chose to ignore him altogether and engage with the rest of the students.

When the school principal passed by the classroom and noticed the distraught young child being ignored by his teachers, she asked them for an explanation. In response, they shared that every day he came in crying, and nothing they did would comfort or settle him down.

Seeing not only that the child was in need, but the teachers were also overwhelmed, she took the young boy to join her on her rounds to visit and observe the other classrooms. As they went from room to room, she pointed out the children to the young boy. “Do you see them all sitting together? Look at their faces. They’re not crying or afraid. They’re happy to be at school and their teachers are kind to them.”

She further explained to the little boy that just like all of the other Mom’s and Dad’s of the children at school, his own mother would certainly come at the end of the day to pick him up. In the meantime, he could rest assured that while he was at school, his mother was busy working, shopping at the market, and cooking food in order to take good care of him.

By the end of their walk, the young boy came to realize that he was safe at school and he finally relaxed and began to cheer up. When he returned to his classroom, he was like a new boy. He was no longer afraid and from that day forward, he participated in learning activities alongside the rest of his peers.

During our various training sessions at the Teacher’s Garden, we emphasize to teachers the importance of finding the root cause of behavioral problems so that they can work with the students and their families towards solutions. Holding on to the Biblical truth that all children are created by God, every student needs to be treated with dignity. Likewise, teachers need to be given the tools and relevant training to learn how to walk alongside their students in their ups and their downs.