The new school term is in full flow, and amidst worry about times tables and exams and the like, we have an important reminder, courtesy of says-what-she-thinks blogger Constance Hall.
While volunteering at Constance’s son Arlo’s pre-school, her friend reported that the little lad had said something profound. All the children were told to line up and count, but Arlo had a very different answer from the rest of the kids.
“The first girl was, ‘I'm one’,” wrote Constance.
“And then: ‘I'm two’. ‘I'm three’. ‘I'm four’. ‘I'm five.’
“And then the awkward silence when they got to my non counting Arlo... until he responded with, “I'm happy?’
“And the teacher happily replied, ‘Good answer Arlo.’
“And guess who else is happy? Me. Coz I couldn't give two f***s if my four-year old can't count, but him being happy completes this mum.”
Arlo's answer reminded us straight away of the famous John Lennon quote:
“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
We know that school is important, but even more important is letting kids learn at their own pace and making their happiness our number one priority.
