I spent the weekend with over a hundred Girl Guides aged 4-17, though mostly I hung out with the younger set. Our them for this camp was the Queen’s Jubilee. The girls were challenged with learning twenty facts about the Queen and her family. And while most of the girls ran around reading posters and reporting the facts to earn small flags of felt, some girls ran into trouble. These girls had different learning styles than the rest. So, instead of insisting that they do the task as it was laid out, I adjusted it to fit their needs. For some it was as easy as teaming them up and walking them through the task. But for four girls, just thinking about finding twenty facts, answering all those questions, and sifting through so much information seemed overwhelming. They wanted to participate, but they were scared they would fail.
These girls have learning difficulties. It doesn’t mean they can’t learn, only that they learn differently. By adjusting the task and using positive words, high fives, and repeated success, the girls went from tears of frustration and the feeling that they were going to fail AGAIN, just like they had so many times before – to smiles, laughter, and a racing search for the next poster. In the end I heard the best thing a Girl Guide leader can hear,
“This is really fun!”
The girls thanked me again and again for helping them be like all the other girls with their flags pinned to their shirts. I just told them I knew they could do it. That they are smart. It’s something kids who have different learning needs don’t hear often enough.
So if you see a kid struggling, don’t write it off as not trying. Most of the time these kids have to try twice as hard as everyone else just to come up with average. Give them a hand, adjust how you present the task. Talk them through their fears of failure. Give them lots of praise. And don’t let their despondency turn you off of helping them – they are just afraid. It happens to us all.
These girls have learning difficulties. It doesn’t mean they can’t learn, only that they learn differently. By adjusting the task and using positive words, high fives, and repeated success, the girls went from tears of frustration and the feeling that they were going to fail AGAIN, just like they had so many times before – to smiles, laughter, and a racing search for the next poster. In the end I heard the best thing a Girl Guide leader can hear,
“This is really fun!”
The girls thanked me again and again for helping them be like all the other girls with their flags pinned to their shirts. I just told them I knew they could do it. That they are smart. It’s something kids who have different learning needs don’t hear often enough.
So if you see a kid struggling, don’t write it off as not trying. Most of the time these kids have to try twice as hard as everyone else just to come up with average. Give them a hand, adjust how you present the task. Talk them through their fears of failure. Give them lots of praise. And don’t let their despondency turn you off of helping them – they are just afraid. It happens to us all.
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