How do they learn, What do they value?

Watch kids interact, they reward status to people who achieve. They imitate and employ the most successful strategies and tactics they encounter. 


Fourth graders, as South Park proves, are the only source of truth in the known universe. The perfect living example of sophomoric pride flows from each nine-year-old. Perhaps reaching the pinnacle of single digit age allows them a clarity of vision. The other answer... they know just enough to recognize when intent and action are dissimilar and are not afraid to act out when they see hypocrisy.


Fourth graders have limited vocabularies. This results in having to fit an unlimited array of feelings, emotions and other conflicting human behaviors into a specific number of words. Compounding the incomplete wisdom, that comes with almost 10 years of experience, is a belief that everything is fair and everyone acts in their own, obvious best interests.  


When drunken stepfather comes home at 2:30 in the morning and whispers, “Don't worry your college fund is taking care of, this will be our secret, I love you, don't tell mom you saw me like this, burp…” The preteen mind processes this as, cool the old man loves me, we have a bond, he's putting money away for me and everything is good workout well. It takes between two to 50 years to figure out drunken assholes tend to lie between the second drink in the time they pass out.


Elementary schoolers know there are words they can't use.  A Christmas Story and George Carlin have well documented the boundaries of taste and the old school consequences of oratory delinquency.


Kids recognize that 90% of what they do is going to be criticized and corrected. They are in learning curve, that sadly for some, does not continue to ascend. Labels and the soft prejudiced of lowered expectations dehumanize and are used as excuses to shelter children from the consequences of their behavior and efforts.


The biggest part of living is learning, overcoming and the triumph of spirit.  The best part of living is learning overcoming and the triumph of spirit.  Failure is nothing more than a chance to get better.