Childhood wonder… we have all had it slip away and we have all longed for its return. As much as I long for lost freedoms of my youth, I am also wistful for the wonder that seems to escape the adolescence of today. I feel, what I can only assume my own teachers and parents felt watching my generation, that there is a tragic decline in imagination and exploration. There is a greater fear of failure and a lesser inclination for adventure.
I see this in my classroom. It makes my heart ache when I give an assignment, just to be met with deep groanings of anxiety for fear of “not being able”.
“I can’t” therefore "I won't"
I'm thankful for small victories when a student is persuaded to attempt despite the potential for failure, but all too often there is no assertion of effort, so that there can be no height from which to fall.
Is this a product of the screens that we thrust in front of their faces or the absence of guidance in the appropriateness of their uses?
Is it that the answer to all of life's mysteries are within the touch of their fingertips, making hands on exploration inefficient?
What of my children? How will I be able to preserve the preciousness of imagination? How will I be able to emphasize the wonder of uninhibited exploration?
What will be left?
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