Patience

Never give up. Perhaps a better way to put it, adhering to the theme of this blog, is "never give up on a child." When I think about any good teacher I've had or know, the common characteristic that all of them have is a great capacity for patience. Any parent can tell you that kids are demanding, even when they don't verbalize their wants or needs. "Mom, I want this." "Dad, do this for me." It never ends, right? Even as a 27 year old man, there are still certain situations and moments when I lean on my parents. I'm not ashamed to admit it. That's the job. When you decided to have children, you were the one whose life changed. Even your title changed from either wife or husband to mother or father. Your son is just your son. Your daughter is just your daughter, and they will always be for as long as you are alive. You are the single greatest influence that they ever will have. Luckily, you won't have to do it all on your own. And that's where I come in.
To be completely honest, I consider it a great honor to be given the opportunity to help your child learn. But it's not always sunshine and rainbows inside a Kumon classroom. I think that anyone who has had a child learn long division for the first time knows this. I can recall many students and their struggles over the years. I wish I could tell you that I never got frustrated, but I can't. Math can present incredibly hard concepts to relate to. It's a language filled with laws and rules that hardly ever make sense until you've moved on to the next rung on the ladder. Explaining these rules can sometimes be harder than understanding them. I think that I am most discouraged when I see a child's spirit broken. "I don't care." I think those are the words that sadden me the most. When a child stops asking questions, when they stop trying, my heart breaks. A darker side of me thinks, "fine. You want to quit? Go ahead. It's not my life. You do what you want." Isn't it scary to hear something like that? But then I quickly remember that the heart of teaching is really about love, about giving love by way of passing on knowledge. Even if a child quits on me, I can still teach. So, I do.
"Keaton, you know what this is? This is the definition of perseverance. Do you know what perseverance is? It's when you don't give up. I'm proud of you." He took the level "D" math test three times. That test is torture and yet he endured. Reviewing those worksheets for five months is painstaking work but he carried on. His mom told me once that he is an "intense little kid." I saw that intensity fade. But he didn't give up. He didn't quit. To this day, my happiness for Keaton stems from understanding that he gained more than just an ability to solve long division problems. He learned that learning can sometimes a little longer than we want. I hope he never forgets.
Patience. It goes a long way.