Cultivating curiosity in kids
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By VANESSA W. SNYDER
Intellectual curiosity.
According to Urbandictionary.com it is a desire to learn more about a person, or a thing, or a way of life.
That’s what I love to see in my children and the children I teach. It’s exciting to come to school and work with students who are genuinely interested in learning. These are the kids who always have a thoughtful comment, always raise their hand and always sit wide-eyed, hanging on to your every word.
They are fully engaged in the learning process — most days anyway.
Unfortunately, there aren’t enough of them often enough.
These days, many children have few if any conversations with parents, or anyone else for that matter. They don’t read enough (don’t get me started) and they don’t spend enough time exploring their community — not to mention the rest of the world.
It seems as if some kids are born with intellectual curiosity. Some get it from their parents, through reading, talking and experiencing life. But some need to be taught how to be intellectually curious. They don’t necessarily have someone in their lives who’s concerned about their intellectual development.
I’m disappointed when I teach students who seem to care about little beyond the electronic devices in their hands. Students who are passive and oblivious to the events and issues swirling around them. Students who never think about anything or anyone that doesn’t affect them directly.
But I have hope because I think teachers, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and just about any experienced adult can take up the cause. In other words, it’s our job to fill the gap.
We really do have a responsibility to help children develop intellectual curiosity about the world they live in and the society they inherit one day.
So maybe it’s time to pick up a newspaper or news magazine and talk to a child about what’s happening in the world. Getting involved in a mentoring program is one great way to do it.
Take your kids to see something historic in your town. If possible, take a trip to a place they’ve never been before. Go to a museum. Visit a restaurant that serves authentic food from another country.
Why does this all matter? Because we want our children to know and appreciate that life is more than technology. That there are people and places to be discovered. That life is larger than they think.
If we take the time to explore and understand, maybe there’ll be less hate and less fear in the world.
VS
