What I learned on a visit to a local elementary school.
Last Friday, Bennet and I visited a local school to talk with several second and third grade classrooms about the Superhero Kick Team books and writing. We even helped them create their own superheroes and encouraged them to write their own stories. Talking with kids is always fun and their unique perspective always reminds me what’s important.
Kids always think it’s cool that Bennet, who is not much older than them, helped write a book. So, they were excited for Bennet to come to their class and he was excited to talk with them. However, he was not excited to prepare for our visit. I am a planner. I plan everything. My day job is project management. So, I make lists and schedules and spreadsheets for everything. Also, speaking to groups of people gives me anxiety. So, when I have to do it, I prepare like I’m going into battle. This is not Bennet. Bennet starts thinking of his school presentations the night before he has to give them and they usually turn out just fine.
We had to find a balance between those two extremes. To get ready, we made a PowerPoint presentation and a worksheet to help the kids create their own superheroes. When it came time to practice, it started to get a little tense. Basically, I wanted to practice and Bennet didn’t. In my head, I imagined him standing in front of the class frozen and tongue tied and anxiety started to creep in. He wasn’t nervous at all. His main concern was whether or not he should wear a cape and if so, which one.
He was just excited to talk to the kids.
So, I backed off. Since I didn’t want to transfer my anxiety onto him, I dialed it back. I trusted him the way he trusted himself. After all, that’s how we wrote the books in the first place. So, we compromised and just walked through his presentation a couple of times. He helped me not overthink it. I helped him organize his thoughts.
When the time came, he did great. The teachers were so encouraging and helped him fill the gaps. By the third classroom, kids were calling out superpowers while Bennet wrote on the smartboard and took questions from the audience like a pro. I’m always amazed at what he is capable of.
My favorite part of doing events is talking with the kids. I love the way their minds work and I love hearing about how they write their own stories. When adults ask me about books or writing, they usually ask how many I’ve sold or if I will make enough money to quit my job. The kids weren’t concerned about that. They wanted to know how Bennet came up with the characters and if they were based on real people. They asked where he gets story ideas. Some kids told him about their own adventures with martial arts. One little girl told us how she likes to write stories about her pets. Their questions were about the fun of writing. Leave it to kids to focus on what’s important.
The last insight is something I already knew, but had forgotten since it’s been a while since I’ve visited a classroom. Teachers are amazing. Every day, they stand in front of a room of 25+ wiggly, silly humans and somehow get them to focus on what they are supposed to be doing. They make learning fun and they do it with kindness and without raising their voices. They are true superheroes.