"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly,
what is essential is invisible to the eye." - Antoine de Saint Exupery.

Observe carefully, and listen.

A child's first teacher is the parent. We all have our own unique styles of parenting; common to all is love and respect for the child's unfolding spirit,
through times of light and the inevitable shadow. In my experience, the easiest junior high students to teach come from parents who:

1. listen, truly listen, without judgement or fear or expectation;

2. look at their child in the eyes with peace and quiet, not distracted by screens;

3. allow for the fact that growth is untidy;

4. spend as much family time in nature as possible, and let the child play in streams and dirt;

5. sees the child as a subject in and of him/herself, not as an object extending the parent's ego;

6. demonstrate every day a harmony between word and act, living their professed ideals and moral code;

7. be open to new experiences and curious about the world, and express that sense of wonder through open-ended questions. For example, walking by
wet grass in the morning sunlight, that parent might comment, "Oh, look at the little rainbows in the grass! I like the intense colors I see. I wonder why
rainbow colors can shine from the grass?" - comments of this nature affirm the child's sense of wonder, recognize with gratitude the beauty inherent in little
things, and spark the investigative curiosity that develops a young scientist.