Working with Kids is Demanding

I work with kids all the time, and I love them. They’re little crazy people, their brains are all on fire with breakneck development and they’re trying to figure out how to have a life that feels “theirs” while still juggling all of the pressures and fears of the adults on their lives.

#folks/Sarah_Perry told me once that there is one thing she notices most when a young person is having a hard time: the lack of choice.

It seems like the reason for why working with kids is “so hard,” and why so many people say they could “never do it” is rooted in the fact that adults just aren’t prepared to actually offer and respect some of those choices. Or even acknowledge them. The 2.b Acton Method really helped me see that in a big way, and it’s changed a lot about how I see interactions with people, not only youngsters but old heads too.

Crossings