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What happened to children between 9 and tenth
30.05.24
Something especially important happens to children between the ages of nine and ten. Speaking in an abstract way it can be said that children learn to differentiate themselves from their environment; children feel themselves as an “I,” and the environment as something external that does not belong to this “I.” But this is an abstract way of expressing it. The reality is that, speaking of course in a general sense: the child of this age approaches you with some problem or difficulty. In most cases the child will not actually speak of what is burdening its soul, but will say something different. All the same you have to know this really comes from the innermost depths of the child’s soul, and the you must then find the right approach, the right answer. An enormous amount depends on this for the whole future life of the child concerned. For you cannot work with children of this age, as their teacher, unless you are yourself the unquestioned authority, unless, that is, the children have the feeling: this is true because you hold it to be true, this is beauti- ful because you find it beautiful, and this is good because you think it good—and therefore you are pointing these things out. You must be for the children the representative of the good, the true, and the beautiful. The children must be drawn to truth, goodness, and beauty simply because the children are drawn to you yourself. And then between the ninth and tenth year a feeling arises instinctively in the child’s subconsciousness: I get everything from my teacher, but where does my teacher get it from? What is behind my teacher? If you then go into definitions and expla- nations it will only do harm. It is important to find a loving word, a word filled with warmth of heart—or rather many words, for these difficulties can go on for weeks and months— so that you can avert this danger and preserve the child’s confi- dence in your authority. For the child has now come to a crisis regarding the principle of authority. If you can meet the situa- tion and can preserve your authority by the warmth of feeling with which you deal with these particular difficulties, if you can meet the child with inner warmth, sincerity, and truth, then much will be gained. The child will retain its belief in your authority, and that is good for the child’s further education, but it is also essential that just at this age between nine and ten the child’s belief in a good person does not waver. Were this to hap- pen then the inner security that should be the child’s guide through life will totter and sway. THE KINGDOM OF CHILDHOOD from Rudolf Steiner
https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA311/English/AP1982/KinChi_index.html
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Information Epoch 1775967239
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