What Can Adults Learn From Kids?

A while back I received a Twitter from our Head of School recommending A TED talk titled "What adults can learn from kids" given by Adora Svitak.  As you can tell I love these TED talks, but before I rushed to watch it I thought I would take a stab at answering the question.  So I looked into my past to try to remember things from my own childhood, but I also looked to my own children and their friends.

I realized that I could come up with a long list but decided to mention just a few and hope that you will add to my list by writing a comment below.

I think adults can learn the following things from kids.

To be INQUISITIVE - anyone who has been around kids much can tell you one of a kid's favorite words is "Why?  For example:

"Daddy, why do mushrooms grow up from this dead log?'
Well, the mushroom is feeding off of the log.
"Why?"
Because mushrooms can't make their own food.
"Why?"
Because mushrooms are not photosynthetic like plants.  They have to feed like animals?
"Why?"
Because they are heterotrophic.
"Dad, why do you have to always use big science words like hedaroo bofic?"


To be PLAYFUL - Children play and children are playful.  Adults would be well served to observe.  Here's the recipe to create play.  Put a group of kids in a room together then leave them alone.  They will be silly, they will pretend, they won't be shy. 

To be AUTHENTIC - real, open with their feelings.  Kids don't hide how they feel.  They don't put up walls.  What you see is what you get for better or for worse.  I know that as a teacher in order for me to be effective I have to be authentic.  I have to be myself and let my students see my faults as well as my strengths.  For adults this is often difficult. For kids its the default setting

To be ACCEPTING (but not tolerant) - my fifteen year old step-daughter Emily recently started a facebook group called "Please stop using the word retarded."(please visit and become a fan)  She is taking a stand against the use of the "R-word" as an insult because of the insensitivity to people with differences.  She has worked with special needs students at her school and has developed a great understanding of the value of all types of people. At the same time she's become more and more aware of the way words can hurt when people forget the impact of those words.  She has decided it's not right and she isn't going to tolerate it.  For the last few years I have been on mission to eliminate the phrase "that's so gay" from the  lexicon of the teenagers I work with.  

I do not accept them using this phrase or any other that is derogatory towards people with different sexual orientation.  However, I have a sister who is classified as mildly retarded, and a cousin who is severely retarded and I was using the word retarded in the same derogatory way.  I have been known to say, "that's so retarded."  Until, Emily called me out on it and demanded that I stop.  She was right.  And I am now much more aware.  I am so proud that she is taking the initiative to teach others acceptance and that she refuses to stand by and tolerate other's insensitivity.  Adults can learn a lot from kids.  We just have to listen. 

To be FEARLESS - while we as humans seem predisposed to some fears, many fears are learned.  And while some of these are useful (as they keep us safe), many of our fears as adults paralyze us.  We fear failure most of all.  This is the fear I most want my kids to avoid.  Children, and at least young children have no fear of failure.  They will stay at a task that they have failed at if it is intrinsically motivating.  They take risks.


Well, there's my short list.  Now let's watch the video from TED and please leave a comment to add to my list,  What can adults learn from kids?

WOW!  I was not expecting that.  WOW! I hadn't watched the video until I had written the blog.  I had no Idea that the speaker was a child.  I figured it was going to be an educator or child psychologist telling us what children had to offer.  Instead I just witnessed the most articulate twelve-year-old on the planet.

I think the most important thing Miss. Svitak tells us is not to under estimate children.  Comments?