Bowling with Bumpers Up

Guiding kids is like bowling with the bumpers up; they’re going to take some bounces, but they will eventually get there.  

When kids first go bowling, we let them chuck the ball down the lane, and they think it is fun just playing with a ball that makes noise, and everyone cheers. They don’t know that a gutter ball gets zero because they are just having fun.  

Once they are old enough to know they are "failing," they are more upset about not being able to get things in order to score and win, so out come the bumpers. The bumpers serve the goal of allowing them to have that joy of getting it down the lane but without failing every time.  

They start to get the hang of things, and they no longer need the bumpers. We gradually wean them off, and although they gutter often, they are more consumed with getting better and are able to take a few misses.  

Sounds a lot like our students in the learning process. They recklessly try things when they are young and have no fear of making mistakes because the world is so new and exciting. They are learning constantly and are just generally happy to be here.  

Once the assessments start to become more obvious and the stakes get a little higher, they start to worry a little more about being right. We scaffold them as they go in hopes they can practice the skill enough to get the idea before trying it all out on their own. 

Of course there are ups and downs and gutterballs of all sorts in life, but we are working with them to keep them on that straight and narrow and eventually get to the goal. Sometimes that is fast and sometimes it takes a bit longer.  

That’s ok. We are with them through it all. When things get hard, we can throw up the bumpers a bit and help them get used to success again before setting them loose to try on their own.  

It is a journey, and we are walking with them all along. Enjoy your walk with them today.