Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Musings from 2nd Grade

My daughter, Rylee, has been doing some writing in her "notes" lately. I was helping her post her thoughts to her blog this afternoon, and as I read over it (to make sure it was all safe to share - and to support our conversation about proof-reading), I was a little surprised by what she had written. 
We're still working on things like run-on sentences, but there a few I thought were worth thinking about a little deeper. She titled this post, Rylee's Real World
"Today I am a 2nd grader and it teaches me that you have to keep trying and that the hole earth is filled with learning. I watch people I know to learn to do things I watch the world to learn and do things. I watch my brother to learn how to play angry birds go. I watch my friends to see what the can do. All because of the world you can learn. I watch dad and he levels up higher and higher on Hay Day. This is my world and I love  it."

I was excited to see that she views the world as a continuous learner. Do you still view the world this way? Do you see a chance to learn and grow around every corner?

"Now the world is full of excitement all because of the people who changed the world...  Now the world has hundreds of heros..."

Do you see the people who change the world every day? She goes on to mention George Washington, but I was struck by the notion that she sees the individuals who make a difference every single day. 

"I know you can't always get what you want when you are a kid but when you start to grow up you can."

Now this very easily could reference things like toys and dessert, but I choose to think about it as her seeing all the possibilities that the future has to offer. Or at least that's how I'll challenge you to think about it. The second part of the challenge is to paint a world in which she sees that she can make a difference, too. You don't have to be an adult to make a difference.