Fighting fear with facts

Young Kindergarten has been caring for praying mantis eggs and when the eggs hatched recently, they invited Dr. deChabert in to see. 

They noticed that she was caught somewhat off guard by the sight of dozens of tiny little insects. 

She was brave about picking one up. She really was. 

 

When she returned to her desk, an email was waiting for her. 

Young Kindergarten was glad she had visited. 

They understood what it meant to be afraid of something. 

Would she like to return to the classroom to learn more about praying mantises? 
 

Sometimes, they assured her, when you are afraid of something, it helps to get some more information about it.
 

 

Curiosity. Wonder. Caring for something you don’t completely understand, and showing compassion for someone who might be experiencing a difficult feeling. 

The exchange that had many important ingredients, including the all-important idea that fear or discomfort can often be chased away simply by gathering more information.
 

Tomorrow, Dr. deChabert will visit Young Kindergarten again. 

The students will show her the book they made for her. 

She will learn more about praying mantises, with them by her side, and she will be better prepared to appreciate these tiny, helpful, pest-eating, busy flying creatures.

And the five-year-olds in Young Kindergarten will see yet again that, sometimes, maybe often, fear can be conquered by curiosity, by careful listening, and by an earnest desire to learn more.