Yesterday, we all went to see my eldest son in his end of term gym 'show'. He has been with 'The Little Gym' for three years now. I was reminded of his first term, when he was just 6. He would watch longingly through the big plate-glass window at his brother in the younger class and then he would watch his own class, but joining in was too much for him and he was overwhelmed him with shyness and fear. After a few weeks he'd watch from inside. A couple more weeks and he'd join in the warm up behind a pillar where no-one could see him. Then he would follow the class from one activity station to the next. It took 10 weeks for him to grow the courage to join in. Even so, the first end of term show was too much of a challenge and he could not show his new skills to the audience of parents, only to my husband and me when no-one else was watching.
Seeing him yesterday, performing skillfully and with confidence was magic! He has come so far both in his gymnastic ability and, more importantly, his confidence. Well done, son!
2 comments:
Wow, he has come a long way. That confidence jump is huge and so important. I had a very very shy student when I taught at uni. She took most of her 3 years to gain that confidence. In the meantime she skipped a lot of small group classes because she was too shy to participate. I have no idea how she got that far, but it is so important to nurture and support that.
You are so right that nurture and support are vital. I have been guilty in the past of pushing him too far, too fast, but I have really learned to look for that level that is 'challenging but not overwhelming.'
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