A Tree Is A Stick To Garrison

Yesterday afternoon I went out in the back yard with my little boy Garrison.  We had an awesome time.  Its amazing what an amusement park a 40ft by 40ft patio home yard can be to a 17 month old.  He loves going outside.  As a matter of fact, me and my wife have been having to spell it out to each other when talking about it because when he hears the word he runs to the back door and tries to turn the handle to go all the while looking and whining at us.  So we are now at the spelling words stage I guess.  Anyway, so we are outside and I set down in a chair and just watch him.  He just staggers all over the yard jabbering about everything.  He is starting to sound out words, (when he wants to) which is pretty cool.  So he starts bringing me all the sticks in the yard and saying something like 'ick' or sometimes if he's doing good 'tick.'  Well after he brings me about five he walks over to one of our two trees and points and says 'ick.'  So I say 'no buddy that is a tree.'  He shakes his head walks in a circle and points at it again...'tick'.  I never did convince him that what he thought was a big stick was actually a tree.  He heard nothing of it.  It was an ick to him and that was that.  

Well that got me to thinking.  So many times in teaching and learning we get caught up on terms and miss the understanding.  We teach children the rules without the life.  We memorize without attaching it to life.  Sure we make a distinction in the English language between a live tree and a dead tree.  We call the live one a tree and the dead one a stick or a log or something else, but the fact is Garrison is right.  The tree is just a big live 'ick.'  Now of course later on I'll explain that we call the live one a tree and all that good english stuff, but for now he has the foundation to build on.  I just think we teachers discourage our students because we teach the rule the rule the rule without it meaning anything more that crammed memory for a test.  Rules attached to life are all that matters to children and adults.  Information unless it affects us has not benefitted us.  Well now I am going off a little on another talk.  Hopefully my point is clear.  This is not only for formal school teachers.  This is for all of us who ever have the opportunity to help teach anyone anything.  Everyone you come in contact with can learn.  We  make it seem so difficult.  It does take some discipline to excel, but it is much easier to do so if all of the information we are trying to learn is not just memorized, and the terms taught just because they are to be taught.  Understanding will take us much further that memorizing.

I really do think all of this goes back to your foundation.  I am absolutely sure that things can never be seen completely right until the Creator-creation relationship is restored.  It is amazing how much clearer everything is when my mind has been renewed by Him and His word.  This stretches to every facet of life.  

Thanks for reading,

Ryan