I was watching a show in January of this year, prior to the chaos and pain which has ensued, and a man who studies numbers and scriptures predicted that this year would be a year of shaking and a year where our collective vision would be affected. Who knew just how much shaking we were in for! But that shaking was also supposed to give us some clarity - think of 20/20 vision.
COVID stripped away our schedules and life as we know it and helped us regain a vision of what really is essential, and I’m not just talking about toilet paper. It helped us appreciate all those who serve our communities and gave many the opportunity to spend time with their families that they ordinarily did not have. So many were reaching out to help others, especially the elderly and those who were high risk, and our medical staffs were saluted every night with an outpouring of appreciation.
The heinous murder of Mr. Floyd shook us all to our core and brought to light once again that, despite the strides we have made as a country, our African American brothers and sisters continue to face racism, and many of them live fearful and helpless. This shaking brought thousands of people to the streets to protest and stand in solidarity demanding for changes to be made. Unfortunately, there were some whose choices led to terrible destruction of other innocent people’s property and livelihoods, which sadly took so much of the focus away from where it should be.
So, how do we speak to our children about the world we are living in today, as I am sure they are confused and frightened by all the shaking that is taking place? Well, we start with the truth, because the truth shall always set us free. We teach them about the history of racism and of all those who have fought against it. We teach them that as a country we have made tremendous strides, but still have a way to go. We teach them to have empathy and compassion for others and that we need to take a stand against injustice when we witness it against anyone. And we teach them strategies to better handle their pain, fears, anger and frustration, so that they can make more effective decisions to help create the positive changes that need to be made for this world to be a better place for everyone.
Now more than ever, it is essential for us to see that Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has to be at the forefront of our children’s education. They need to become more aware of their emotions and how to regulate them. We need to show them how to be more socially aware and how to improve their social decision making and problem-solving skills. We need to reinforce moral and ethical values in children and teach them ways to improve their relationship skills. If you are interested in learning more about SEL, please visit the page I have devoted to it on this website. Share it with your friends and make sure you sign up to get the two free stories and lessons from my books.
May 2020’s shaking clear our vision to truly see what matters and help us create a more beautiful world for the children.