Keep Your Childlike Heart

Is it just me or can we learn a lot from kids? I know that we are supposed to become "wiser" as we get older, and I do believe that to be true, but I also think that we need to keep some of our childlike traits as we age. 

As a teacher, I am constantly touched and amazed by how awesome kids can be. Yes, sometimes I want to pull my hair out in frustration, but there are also many times when I just want to sit back and admire my kiddies for their caring, loving hearts. And these good times far outweigh the bad.

This morning when I walked into my classroom, I found this written on my chalkboard:

(Nativity Grace is one of the characters in the Christmas play that we are putting on this year)

Since I don't teach on Thursdays, I had no idea that one of my students left me this little surprise. But let me tell you, the smile on my face when I walked in today and saw this was huge. Just the fact that one of my students thought to leave me this little note is so touching. It didn't cost anything. It probably didn't even take up much time. Yet it totally made my day! So why don't we do things like this for others more often??  

And as if the note wasn't enough, I went on to teach my next class and was overwhelmed by the kindness that I saw going on between the students. I had asked the students to work together in small groups, and reminded them that I wanted them to be kind and try not to argue. I was so proud of them, because, not only did they work together so nicely, they also surrounded each other with love and respect that I don't see amongst most adults.

I learned a lot today in a short amount of time, and I am constantly amazed by the new things that my students are teaching me. 

So grow up. Get older and wiser. But never lose your childlike heart. Never lose that ability to care for others more than you care for yourself. Never lose that desire to put a smile on another person's face with the smallest act of random kindness. Doing these things does not make you any less of an "adult." 

What have you learned from kids recently?