There is something quite intriguing about sitting at the back of a classroom watching a teacher interact with a student or playing pool whilst a youth worker tells a young person they can help figure out what to do next. Whether you like it or not both of these interactions constitute a relationship and how this is framed makes all the difference to the lives of both parties.
I remember many years ago as I hit an important birthday. It happened to coincide with an important birthday for my mother to. I remember being so happy with the new watch I got but I received far more joy seeing my mother’s face as she came into my house to find her four brothers and sisters, all having come down from Scotland especially to surprise her. I remember it every time I look at my watch.
There is something vital about the relationship between giving and receiving don’t you think?
I think the very best teachers, youth workers, social workers, counsellors etc turn up to work every day with the wide eyed enthusiasm of a child ready and willing to learn. They are not curtailed by faulty representations of power or an unwillingness to share the limelight with the child. They are not wracked with fear that “if you give them an inch they’ll take a mile.”
True learning relationships are not a free for all. Instead they promote strong and clearly defined boundaries. That is the skill. It is our most realistic opportunity for our role as educator and mentor to find it’s voice.
We can lose sight of the fact that young people are living their lives right now and that they have something to teach us!
So why not give it a go? Afraid?
John Hassall, Founder & Creative Director, Johass
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