Children Are Sponges.

B2:What preconceptions do you hold about the nature of childhood and children? How do these ideas affect your understanding of the role of the teacher and the nature of the content of art education? How did your experiences today confirm or change your pre-existing ideas?

As an adult my preconceptions, that I know are false, but are a generic stereotype towards children; is the idea that children are innocent. Pure. Most children are not innocent and pure. Children are sponges and will soak up everything they see and hear which will forever be in their minds, this clouds their innocence. I think most confuse innocence with naivety. Children are definitely naïve, but that is a result of their ages and lack of experiences that test their knowledge of how to handle situations. Children are told, by adults with experience, what to do in every situation they are put in. They are told to share, not talk to strangers, to look both ways when crossing the road etc. And when they oppose these directions, that’s when they gain the experiences that help to diminish their own naivety. Another preconception about children is that they are less skillfully able to do as adults do. Children can learn fast and pick things up just as fast or as slowly as most adults. If a child has the right basics, fundamentals and tools, they will be able to execute an activity just as well as an adult. Reading, writing, creativity… children do have the ability to apply themselves to the same skill level as an adult if given an opportunity. But mostly, we understand children as not having the same experiences as we do, or less time to experience them due to their ages. But given the opportunity, it is possible for a child to learn what an adult can learn.