LET KIDS BE KIDS

(by Stephen R.C. Hicks)

The newspaper in Indiana town ran a contest for schoolchildren. The students were to create a picture on any topic; the best would be published in the paper.

A second-grader drew a sad-faced earth with the caption "I am weary. I am tired. Please quit wasting me!"* A third-grade girl depicted animals crying near a house under construction, with smokestacks in the distance; the caption read "We want our home back!"

Apparently many children are coming home from school frightened that the world is cold and inhospitable. All the furry animals are being killed and the nice green trees being chopped down. Even breathing air is dangerous.

Motivated by the best of intentions, most teachers want their students to become informed and independent thinkers. But in trying to convey a sense of urgency about such problems, they become frustrated and frightened. They begin to realize that we are living in a hostile world whose problems are too big to handle. And that's an attitude children often acquire early in life.

This does not mean educators and parents should pretend that problems do not exist. We need to take pains** to help children confront them on a scale they can grasp.

Frightened children are not going to grow into adults who can solve the world's problems. That requires a confidence in one's ability to find solutrons. And such healthy self-esteem*** requires nurturing**** over a long period, on a great number of small, day-to-day matters. Too much, too fast, can only destroy it.

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* «Я больше не могу. Я устала. Пожалуйста, перестаньте зря растрачивать меня!»

** to take pains – прилагать огромные усилия

*** self-esteem –самооценка

**** nurturing – (зд.) воспитание

Assignments:

1. In 3–5 short sentences give the main idea of the article.

2. Translate it using a dictionary.