Meeting the needs of diverse learners...

Well those posts were fun!
I loved sitting and thinking about one child at a time.
The things that instantly pop into my mind.
Their strengths.
Their weaknesses.
How I love them.

I love that I have a degree in Elementary Education.
I learned so much.
And at the time I had no idea how it would apply to my role as a mother.
It's incredible how much of it transfers over into my everyday life.
Classroom management skills.
Reading techniques.
Integration in the classroom.
Classroom rules.
All of it.

As I wrote each of the previous posts, I can honestly say I sat and thought about each child and had different feelings.
I don't know if it shows through in what I said or not, but I felt it.
All feelings of love and concern and joy...but yet very different.
And as I thought about why, a class from college popped into my mind.
It was my favorite elementary education class ever.
"Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners"
I loved it at the time.
And I love it even more now as a mother.

I learned so much in that class about playing on the differences in children.
About pulling out their strengths and using them to their advantage.
About fairness and equality.
I can remember that first day of class like it was yesterday.
The professor was amazing.
And her whole class was based on the belief that FAIR does NOT mean EQUAL.
And I loved that.
Every single child is different.
We need to value those differences.
And sometimes that means making accomadations for one child that you wouldn't for another.
And as I thought about each of my kids and how I love them and how I show them that I love them, this came to mind.
I do not treat them alike.
I love them all from the depths of my being, but I show them that love in different ways.

I think it's kind of like how Jesus loves us.
He knows what we need to experience His presence.
It's different for each of us.
And I find it amazing how he reveals himself to us all in different ways.
As a parent, I think we need to do the same.
And that's not always easy for me.
So as they grow and change, I'll just continue to pray that I can see their diverse needs and provide for them each in their own special way.

As they ran towards the school today I felt something well up inside of me.
Such a mix of emotions.
Love, pride, sadness, fear, anxiety...all rolled into one momma.
Time just keeps moving on. We can't stop it. Might as well enjoy the ride!