Kids fascinate me. A few weeks ago I
changed out one of those large toilet paper rolls you find in public
restrooms. The remaining cardboard cylinder fit perfectly on my wrist
like a bracelet as it set sail on its maiden voyage to the trash. But
it never made it.
Forgetting my quest, I strolled into a
class to help some kindergarten and first grade students with their
homework. They held a din of noise that kept everyone out of focus.
In addition, one little boy (I'll call him Johnny) crawled under the
table to untie his friend's shoelaces, while bits of paper sailed
through the air from behind me. Typical afternoon.
I began quieting the class and
refocusing them on their homework. “What is THAT?” a little
voiced chirped, pointing at the empty toilet paper roll adorning my
wrist. Heads turned. “This?” An opportunity resided on my arm. I sucked in the
air of a ringmaster and began “This, my dear friends, is an empty
toilet paper roll. But you don't get to see these large ones too
often because they come from those big toilet paper rolls and it
takes forever to get down to them.” Little Johnny crawled out from
under the table to look. “But this isn't just a large toilet paper
roll. This can be a bracelet to color whatever color you want, it can
be a telescope to spy on your friends, it can be whatever you want it
to be, and it can even be YOURS.” Awe and quiet filled the room.
Paper balls dropped. I needed buckets to catch the drool dripping
from their mouths.
“In order to win this treasure, you
must do your homework and not bother your friends if you finish
before them.” Frantically they retrieved their homework and quietly
worked as often as they could remember to be quiet.
Little Johnny from under the table
ended up being my best student and winning the prized circle of cardboard. He has been my best
student since that day. He never visits under the table or has a rendezvous
with his friend's shoelaces anymore.
A couple weeks go by and I've already
busied myself with other theatrics and forgotten all about the toilet
paper roll. Until one afternoon Little Johnny pulled it from his
backpack. He showed me how he used it as a Spider-Man web slinging
device and sometimes turned it around to spy on people. He fascinated
me with where he took that cardboard cylinder in his imagination. The
fact that he keeps it with him at all times in his backpack and
esteemed it because it was something Miss Susanna had awarded him
blew me away.
Little Johnny reminded me how magical
imagination and praise can be. Dale Carnegie, in his famous book How
to Win Friends and Influence People, says to be “hearty in your
approbation and lavish in your praise.” Kids will stand taller, sit
stiller, and sometimes even act quieter just for a few words of
praise. Many teachers don't have the resources to give their students
the best tools available to grow their minds and give them a love of
learning. But the most cost effective tool you can use is praise and
then build on a child's innate imagination. I've even given away
imaginary kittens and had kids who would bring them back to school
for days after. The possibilities are endless.
So thank you to the little boy who
enriched my life by reminding me of how interesting and entertaining
the simplest things can be.
For some more ideas on how to use and appreciate toilet paper rolls, check out this Pinterest board.
