In the 90s I was part of an incredible team that created an alternative high school for children labeled “at risk”.  Children become at risk when there are no adults willing to care for the heart and spirit of the child. The school was successful for many students, and every successful student at sometime during their enrollment would invariably make two comments: “I never worked this hard at the high school,” and “The teachers at the high school never cared about me like they do here.”

Standardized achievement based on intellectual performance, successes based on comparison with the performance of others, and value measured by what can be purchased ignores the spirit and heart. Perpetuation of this paradigm allows adults to ignore the spirit of children and eventually shift the blame for failure to the children themselves.

I recently attended a benefit event for a small local modern dance company led by Thom Lewis. During the evening there was a short performance by an ensemble of upper elementary students Thom teaches as part of a grant sponsored arts in education program. At the performance end, the kids gathered around Thom just as my young soccer players do at the end of a practice or game. As Thom congratulated them on their character to step up and perform so well, the young dancers (beings) listened to the praise they knew they had earned and were excited in the moment.  As I witnessed this scene I was close to emotional tears of happiness, realizing not just the rich humanity of the moment but in the knowing that I also have the opportunity to impact the heart and spirit of the young girls I coach on the soccer pitch. It was sad that in Thom’s plea for donations to the arts in education program that he had to sight studies that showed students receiving artistic experiences perform better on standardized tests, as if that was necessary to justify caring for the heart and spirit of the children’s experience.

Those who care for the heart and spirit of the children are not valued in the financial paradigms of our society. They are typically individuals that have a very modest lifestyle and a very rich experience of life. However, consider that they too are “at risk” in a society that values materialism. Their saviors are the children that love them for caring.

Guarding and preserving the spirit and hearts of children is a delicate process that requires attention, lots of attention.