Children need love. Yes, we¡¦ve heard this countless times, yet it still rings as true now as it did when it was first uttered so long ago. Children are complex yet simple; they require a great deal of patience and flexibility, and they also need to know they are supported at every turn.

So the question arises: "How do we offer children love and support, provide them with an environment to grow, and engage them to learn?¡¨ There is no absolute answer to this question. Ironically enough, what children desire in learning pretty much mirrors those adults. Four key aspects of this learning come to mind:

Ć Children want to learn on their own.
ƒÜ Children want to show what they’ve learned to others.
ƒÜ Children want to build on what they’ve learned.
Ć Children want to help others learn.

This is pretty much the process I have witnessed at Happy Marian. My children want to immediately grab an object, learn about it independently in a split-second, and then tell the class about it. They do not rest until they have found out the truth about the object. They need to know that they haven¡¦t wasted their time and search for nothing. They need to know that there is good reason for their investigation into the object. Our role as adults¡Xas teachers and parents¡Xis to let them know that their search is not in vain, and that there is genuine purpose and benefit in their investigation.

On a more basic and fundamental level, children need to know that we care about what they are learning. They need to know that we love and support them, because this is the very thing they need most not only to grow, but to face our difficult world.

And once the children are comforted knowing that they are loved, and once they are satisfied in their learning, they need to independently move on and build on the knowledge they have acquired. My children at J1¡Xand I suspect all children¡Xdesire to impart the knowledge of what they have learned. They perform the very thing that we encourage all young learners to do, which is the share. And the beautiful thing about this final process, is that the children display the ability to think in progressive steps. They often say to me, ¡§Teacher Matt, first you do this, and then you....¡¨ The most rewarding part of education indeed!

So the question remains, ¡§What is there to do once we have seen our children go through this wonderful learning process?¡¨ The answer is not so much to lead them in a controlled manner and direction, but to offer a flexible environment for individual growth, and to foster an environment where the children may share with one another and become better human beings. If the children feel love and accepted in their learning, then they will give back what they have learned and help others.

J1¥~®v Matthew Lenehan / University of Windsor Ontario, Canada