Marylhurst Early Childhood Center

Archive for the ‘Marylhurst Dad Column’ Category

Ann points out a delightful feature of our children:  In preschool, kids absolutely love to be different.  It is the thrill of pushing limits and the way to get attention.  It is the way you get comfortable to get creative.  There is gratification in being different… for different’s sake. 

As a dad at Marylhurst, the nurturing of creativity is one of the reasons I am so proud of our school.  The teachers meet our children where they are, and each one is accepted unconditionally, without any pretense.  They always seem to display such patience, and allow our kids to become unique and lovable individuals.  No matter what quirky things my kids say, they are warmly greeted with reassurance and enthusiasm!  As Ann points out, we should accept (and encourage) random quirkiness and value uniqueness.  In fact, since the curriculum is child-led, the quirky part is guaranteed! 

As for the title, hyperbole means “extravagant exaggeration.”  When telling a story in my daughter’s preschool class, it is the way children learn to free their minds and express themselves creatively – extravagantly.  Listen to one of the Mice class stories sometime.  You’ll be amazed by what stuff our kids come up with, and you’ll find one child on a dinosaur kick, one who loves the color pink, and one who watches a good dose of Spider Man! But all of these kids have something in common – loving teachers who encourage their story-telling abilities with extravagant exaggeration. And the beautiful thing? They don’t know it either.

I had to get out my geometry book to define “hyperbola” – guys are often a little analytical.  It is a long curved line, as in a rainbow or the traditional bell-shaped curve.  It is also the way to describe the times when it is cool to be quirky – terrific as a young child, repulsive when you plod through adolescence, and valued once again when you hit adulthood.  To illustrate the “coolness of quirk” hyperbola, consider that in my younger days, I would choose to answer a question wrong, just to be different.  Imagine being averse to sameness in such a way as you compromise correctness!

I think we all know that being quirky is to be avoided during adolescence.  (Or if you were willing to stand out, you were a braver man than I.)  And oh, but do quirky kids grow up to be great adults…  Your quirky child may grow up to be the creative genius behind any number of society’s artistic conventions.  Confident, interesting, and compelling…  It’s cool to be quirky again once you are fully grown.  What do you think, Ann… can I get a “quack?” Oh, and P.S., my daughter’s favorite thing to draw right now? A hypberbola…or in her words… a rainbow.