When we are little, we are not aware of how extraordinary we are. Everything is new to us, and we fail to recognize that some of our abilities are unique and wonderful. At that stage, we rely on our parents for extra support—to help us channel those skills they see awakening in us and guide them toward something positive. Whether it’s an artistic, scientific, or completely different talent, the more children explore the world, the more they discover, constantly recognizing new things that we, as adults, don’t tend to notice as often.
When we become parents, it’s hard to put ourselves back in our children’s shoes. After all, we have grown up, taken on new responsibilities, and sometimes prioritizing our children’s well-being from our adult perspective prevents us from seeing the world through their eyes.
But that’s normal—it happens to all of us. If we were perfect, life would be much easier, and everyone would have kids. However, there are moments when life puts challenges in our path, and sometimes that challenge is a puzzle. We can’t see the full picture until we finish putting it together, and all those pieces that didn’t seem to fit end up forming a beautiful image.
To talk about this topic, I want to share a story.
Pepe is a 6 or 7-year-old boy who is quite restless at school. Although he is very eager to learn, his parents constantly receive calls because he struggles to concentrate in class and ends up distracting his classmates. His parents think this is relatively normal—“He’s just a kid with extra energy,” they assume, so they don’t give it much importance. They simply tell him to pay more attention in class and continue with their daily routine.
In the afternoons, Pepe attends a tutoring group where he gets help with his homework. One day, he arrives more anxious than usual. And who wouldn’t be? His parents scolded him, and he doesn’t quite understand what he did wrong. His teacher notices his long face and asks what’s wrong.
«I got scolded today because they say I get distracted a lot in class,» Pepe responds sadly.
The teacher, who knows him well, is surprised. She knows that Pepe is an attentive and curious child, so something doesn’t add up. Then, she asks him a key question:
«Do you feel like you get distracted? What do you think your teacher sees when you’re not paying attention?»
Pepe thinks for a moment. It’s not an easy question for a child so young, but he does his best and responds:
«Whenever I’m in math class and they give me a problem, I draw it in my mind to solve it. It makes it much easier for me, but I think I take too long to answer, and the teacher believes I’m thinking about something else.»
«And what about Spanish class?» the teacher asks.
«I always try to draw the theory so I won’t forget it. Look!»
Pepe shows the teacher a very nice drawing. At first glance, it might seem like just a doodle, but in reality, Pepe was illustrating sentence structure: the subject, the verb, and the predicate. It was at that moment that the teacher had a revelation.
I want to pause the story here so each reader can draw their own conclusions for a moment. Not everyone would notice this right away.
Now, before reaching a small conclusion, I want to mention something important. Our whole lives, we’ve been presented with school as a vertical learning system: every year, we move up a level, we must learn the same subjects in childhood, and if we succeed in this system, we will be intelligent and acquire basic life knowledge. And indeed, school is valuable and provides us with wonderful learning experiences. BUT—and this is key—it doesn’t always channel our abilities in the best way for us to learn effectively.
We’ve often talked about how every child is a different world. In the same way, not all children learn at the same pace or with the same methods. It’s understandable that in a school setting, it’s difficult to personalize education for every student, and it’s also understandable that teachers struggle to identify each student’s unique skills when they have so many to take care of.
What I want to say with all this is that Pepe was not inattentive, hyperactive, or lacking discipline. Pepe had simply discovered a way to learn that no one had taught him—through drawing.
Sometimes, we find it difficult to step away from traditional methods and explore new ways of teaching because we don’t know what lies beyond. But I believe today’s call to action is simple: let’s listen more to our children. Let’s ask questions, even if we’re not sure they’ll have an answer. They might surprise us.
If we notice that our children are struggling with learning, let’s observe. Before assuming that “he’s just not focused” or “he doesn’t pay attention,” let’s ask ourselves: could it be that the school’s teaching method is not the best fit for him? Let’s put ourselves in their shoes. Let’s remember what it was like to be in school and ask ourselves: If my skills had been channeled differently, where would I be today?
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