Caretaking of Children's Souls

As parents and teachers, we often provide an enriching cognitive and physical skills environment but sometimes ignore addressing the affective domain. In Young Children, a journal from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (Jan 2000), Susan Turner refers to this domain as the essence of a person’s spirit that gives them life, their uniqueness, and their spark of fire. She refers to this as “canto hondo,” the deep song. We often expand a young child’s mind but forget to equally do the same for his or her soul.

The first note in this “canto hondo” or deep song, is that of safety. Paying attention to their emotional safety is essential. We do this by loving them unconditionally, without our judgments and prejudices of how we want them to be and by paying close attention to their own unique path that is gradually emerging. The next note is celebration. As children grow in stages, so do their abilities to understand themselves as living beings. Something simple as a family meal together or an observation of a family tradition promotes a healthy sense of belonging to a group. Important also is the celebration of a child’s accomplishment of developmental milestones such as a first loose tooth, first participation in a school production, reaching their first two-digit birthday, or the first time riding a bike alone.

One of the sweetest notes in this “canto hondo” is daydreaming. Sometimes we tend to over emphasize cognitive development and push day dreaming right out the door. Supporting and helping children to stand up for and embrace their dreams, not ridicule them, can make a significant difference in their life.

As teachers and caregivers of young children, we hold a sacred honor. When we continue to learn more and care for our own spirit, nurturing and singing our own “canto hondo,” we are then able to care for others in a more genuine way and truly help our children sing their own deep song.

Shirley Rivera
Character Education / Counseling
* srivera@midpac.edu * 441 - 3839

“When soul is present in education...we concentrate on what has heart and meaning.”
--- Rachael Kessler

Posted on September 26, 2007 1:50 PM | Permalink