Making it Personal

By Nechama -
Daniel loves drawing. I am careful to compliment him on his scribbles, providing specific praise at every opportunity. It might sound funny to you when I say "look at that line!" or "you drew 'round and 'round in circles!" but Daniel beams! 

Once, I drew a car while he was hard at work with his sketches. He was impressed, and since then has insisted that I draw cars on most of his pictures. 

He has grown rather fond of his name (as I would assume most people are).  I found myself labeling his drawings several times over. As I did, I was careful to say the name of each letter as I wrote it in order to increase his familiarity.

Today I suggested that he give it a try. Have a look:
Daniel's first "Daled"
Mind you, that was his first attempt! Oh, the pride...

Sure, he's seen it a number of times. Nonetheless, I am confident that the fact that daled [ד] is the letter that starts his name is what prompted him to get it right.

I learned two lessons:

1. Make it personal! When I teach something that is directly relevant to my students' lives and identities they are far more eager to learn. They will naturally be more focused and learn a great deal (of content and practical applications).

2. By raising Daniel, he gives me so much more than he can imagine. The pride in seeing his drawing is nothing on the pride I have in my own calligraphy.  He gives me the opportunity to give. I think this is why it is said that parents love their children more than themselves.

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