Cheesy Doesn't Mean it isn't True

We've all heard the same quote over and over “children are the future.” Always sounded a bit cheesy to me. It’s been said at every graduation, in any speech about education reform, and after every tragedy. But have you ever really considered the weight of those four simple words? I know that I never did. And I never really understood the impact children could have until my nephew and nieces were born. Through my relationships with them, I rediscovered my optimistic, playful, and eager to learn inner child, but I also realized how impressionable their little minds can be. Watching them grow and learn and witnessing firsthand how malleable they are allowed me to come to understand not only that cheesy quote but also the gravity of the responsibility that educators bear.

Never afraid of a challenge, I shouldered this weight in my new position as the Champaign County Farm Bureau Foundation Earth Partners and Ag Discovery intern  ̶  a bit wordy right? This summer as the CCFBF (I’m sure you’ll appreciate my abbreviations) intern, I headed up some summer Library programming. I was confident that it was going to be great. I was excited to teach kids about agriculture, the lessons had a catchy name “Green Eggs and Agriculture,” and I had experience with kids. What could go wrong?

Well for starters, only three kids showed up for the first lesson ̶ you could say I was disappointed, and the first flicker of doubt danced in my thoughts. But when I saw the excitement in their eyes and their eagerness to learn, I was reminded of the importance of my role. I hid my disappointment with a smile and taught those three kids about farmers and how they have to juggle many jobs just like the Cat juggled items on his hat. We all left happy, and I certainly felt fulfilled.

However, as the summer progressed and lesson after lesson only resulted in minimal attendance, my disappointment had returned in force. Was this even worth my time? It took three kids skipping into the library to remind me that it wasn’t a question of if “this” is worth my time, but if “they” were worth my time. And while I learned valuable lessons about advertising, outreach, and coordination, I can say unequivocally that they were, because that cheesy quote has been right all along.Children are the future.