Auesome Mother’s Day

As teachers, every time we interact with our students, we have an opportunity to plant seeds, seeds of thought, knowledge, curiosity. 

We plant seeds on a regular basis. Once we plant these seeds, we are, in essence, the gardeners of their minds, nurturing the seeds to help them grow, develop, expand, and thrive. 

During last December, we had our Auesome Christmas celebration and shared freshly baked cookies with the people within our building. Little did we know that the bulbs were magically planted with the hopes of new growth in the spring. This spring, we welcomed our Mother’s Day gratitude project, Auesome’s very first stepping-stone art venture.

A seed may be representative of an idea or a value we hope to instill in our children. 

Mother’s Day is often associated with gifts of all sorts. It is a good opportunity to emphasize with the students that they don’t have to spend money to give a thoughtful gift, everything is more beautiful when it’s handmade with love. 

Moreover, a gift can also be for a community and not just for an individual. Through giving back to the community, students can learn that it feels just as good to give as it does to receive and that they are important enough to have an impact on someone.

Just as a gardener ensures a seed planted receives enough water and sunlight, we must ensure that the value shared is supported, nurtured, and modelled. Nurturing and genuine comments like “Wow! that’s a great drawing!” or “I really appreciate your help” mean a lot to us as humans. 

We also cultivate perseverance. “It’s okay if they don’t want to buy. Don’t give up, we have five more plates to go!” was what one of our students had told the teachers when we were faced with sales rejections. It is also essential to give our students tools of their own so that they can begin to tend to those seeds. 

Our students are the gardeners of their own mind. We, as teachers, are there to support their work, to provide the supplies they need and to offer our sweat and labor. When students create something, they leave a part of themselves in it. When they are finished creating, they take pride in the work because they see themselves in it. When someone buys something they’ve made, they see themselves reflected in that purchase.

At Auesome, we are continuously fostering opportunities to help our students connect with thoughts, ideas, curiosities through different learning experiences. 

We are not merely sowing seeds for harvest; we are guiding a new generation of gardeners to grow in ways that, as adults, we are unable to imagine. If they are to surpass us, it won’t be by adhering to the limits we’ve set for them, but by learning to tend their own gardens.

Have you planted a seed today?

“We are set free if we set others free, for it is only by example we can teach”　　

－Dr．Edward Bach