Observations

Dear Campus School Families,

I was recently observing our kindergarten classrooms, where students were
discussing monarch butterflies. I was struck by the powers of observation that
our youngest students displayed. They were making very careful and nuanced
observations about the butterflies, and other students were listening,
processing and reacting to these reflections. I realized, once again, how
observant children are and how, as we age, we often become distracted and
have a more difficult time noticing what is around and right in front of us.

I wonder why this is so? Certainly we live in a distractible world, with external
stimulation taking up much of our observational bandwidth. We also carry
more responsibilities as adults and they consume significant energy and
attention. But younger children are often more present to the world. They see
with fewer filters; there is, accordingly, a type of purity to their observations.
This dynamic is one of the many reasons why it can be so enlightening to be
fully present to our children - we might learn (and see) something new.

Warmly,
Chris