Sisyphus and the Itsy Bitsy Spider

Working with Children

by Jim Hartsell

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The Refugee

 I was involved in a discussion a little over a year ago about a group of children who had entered the public school system where I worked. They children were from a central African country.  The focus of the discussion was a first grader, a male.  The video the group watched was of an overtly aggressive child, throwing books, turning over chairs, attacking the adults in the room, and making a keening noise that was difficult to listen to.  I can only imagine what it was like to be in the room. 

After a few minutes of the video, it became clear that this was not an aggressive child.  This was a terrified child.  The so-called aggressive child, a six-year-old, found himself in a completely unfamiliar environment, and was unable to communicate.  This child couldn’t talk to anybody, and nobody could talk to him.  All of his actions were very understandable once it was recognized he was not an aggressive child.  I remember mentioning to one of the other people at the meeting, “If we take into account where he came from and what he understands, everything he’s doing makes sense.”.  

 What this youngster and the other refugee children needed from the public school system, and what they got as a result of that meeting, was an emphasis on mutual cultural education and an opportunity to build a communication system before traditional academics were addressed.  Cultural education in both directions is essential and the system, confronted with a new and unexpected issue, chose, in my opinion, the correct path.  Understanding and communication should come first. 
 

I believe there is great strength in diversity 

Children with behavioral problems need an education centered on them and deserve a quality education. Going beyond the surface behaviors is imperative in education.  The public school education community is stronger when we welcome and include others, including those of different backgrounds and a different understanding of the world. I believe that there is great strength in diversity. It does mean, however, that we need to pay attention.  Assuming that what we understand is identical to what others understand is risky at best.  Homogeniety should not be the goal; rather, the chance to make ourselves and others more aware and able to use new knowledge and points of view is a precious opportunity that should not be wasted.   
 

Working with children can be both a challenging and rewarding endeavor.  Jim Hartsell discusses the education system and dealing with children with behavioral problems in his book, Sisyphus and the Itsy-Bitsy Spider. 

For more detailed information, visit www.JimHartsell.com. 

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