What's That Sound?

If you are like me, you sometimes worry about all the things that might happen. Occasionally I even worried about things before I even know what I am really worrying about. If you take time to listen to children, you will find out that some of them do the same thing. A little boy once told me an elaborate plan about what he would do should he be left behind in the classroom. I know he was just trying to find a way to deal with his fear. I was glad he shared his worry with me. I explained all the safeguards teachers use to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Author Norbert Landa and illustrator Tim Warnes might say that this little guy was making a monster out of a mouse. In The Great Monster Hunt, Duck hears a noise coming from under his bed. He is so afraid; he can’t even look to see what is making the sound. His does tell his friend Pig about the problem, but instead of investigating Pig goes to get help from Bear. Unfortunately, as Pig tells bear about the problem, the sound coming from the bed is exaggerated. This sequence of events continues through a number of animals until the sound is not a tiny one, but a great bog one. The animals are sure there must be a monster under the bed. They come up with a plan to help Duck, but in the end they realize they made a monster out of a mouse.

I think teachers need to take more time to listen to children and discover the things that worry them. Small groups of children seem to work best for this kind of discussion. Some children won’t speak until they have heard others share their thoughts, but large groups are often too intimidating for quieter children. I think it also helps for adults to talk about things which worry them and to discuss how they handle their fears. Reading The Great Monster Hunt would be a good conclusion to such a discussion. It could help children to see that it is better to first find out if there really is something to worry about.