Children Learn What They Live (1959)
If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn . . .
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight . . .
If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive . . .
If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself . . .
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy . . .
If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilt . . .
BUT
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient . . .
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident . . .
If a child lives with , he learns to be appreciative . . .
If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love . . .
If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is . . .
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice . . .
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and those about him . . .
If a child lives with friendlienss(sic), he learns the world is a nice place in which to live . . .
WITH WHAT IS YOUR CHILD LIVING?
Dorothy L. Law
TORRANCE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
2335 Plaza del Amo
Torrence, California
Hi Shari:
ReplyDeleteThis poem touched my heart and truly spoke to my passion of working with children and families. It inspired me to also do a little research on Dorothy L Law (Nolte).
Dorothy was born in 1924 and died in 1954. She was trained as a family counselor and often changed career paths. She was a trainer for parenting classes, founded a kindergarten, and was a child birth instructor. In 1954 she was a writer for the Torrance Herald, when she wrote this poem in order to meet her column deadline. She thought very little of its potential but it has now been translated into 35 languages and became a bestseller in 2005.
I think her comment that she "never truly appreciated the impact of the poem," should remind us all that we can influence social change, even as a result of the actions for which we think so little. The work we are doing with children is important. You may not see your impact today or the immediate future. But, your work and dedication to education can have an impact on one child who may grow up to be a world leader.
Reed, C. (2006, January 6). Obituary: Dorothy Nolte | Books | The Guardian. Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk. Retrieved March 12, 2011, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/jan/05/guardianobituaries.books