I ran the “spaghetti” challenge with the elementary children at the Montessori. It was a different student group for me to manage. I found it interesting that they would first raise their hand to ask a question, and when I called on them, they struggled to formulate the question.
We spoke about the importance of teamwork and trying their best. We agreed that failure was not the end of the world, and that they would have to deal with it as the grew older.
The end results of the exercise were less than ideal, but the process worked perfectly. These beautiful children reminded me that I needed to be more patient with my college kids. And that my heart as an educator should not focus on their age — but their willingness to learn.
About Hemant Rustogi