An educator ought to be a very special person, with a very broad outlook on life and an understanding of the processes that are happening in the world. Through a familiarity with the world and with nature, he should have a clear vision of the state he’d like to bring the child to at the end of the educational process. His role is to help the child reach the exalted goal of connection and love of others, but using the child’s unique approach, without suppressing or destroying the talents with which he was born. In short, an educator is the one who sculpts the young child with much craft — not according to the educator’s way, but rather by the child’s way.

How to do that?

The most efficient way is through the correct use of the society. We all know the importance that children attach to their friends, which increases as they grow older. Developmental psychology states that the more our children grow, the more the influence of the family gives way to the influence of the “the peer group” — other children whose language your child understands and with whom he shares common areas of interest.

The cleverness of the educator lies in his ability to build his class into a society of friends, a microcosm of the world, which will positively influence each and every one of its members, while he himself remains “behind the scenes.” For that, he must equate his level to that of the children — to act as a “big friend.” If he does not act like that, he will be perceived as a teacher or a parent who belongs to the society of the adults, and his opinion will not be accepted.

If, however, he belittles himself too much, he will be perceived as a student. Only when the child feels that his educator shares his experiences, and therefore is equal to him, will he accept him as a real friend and open up to his influence.

For that, educators must partake in all the activities with the children, to accompany them to all the places, to do everything really like children, to fully “mingle” with them, but at the same time to gently take the reins in their hands and start directing the children, to begin building different forms of behavior in them. How exactly? The guides raise questions in the circle of the children, which allow them to scrutinize different topics between themselves from time to time.

The only difference that ought to be sensed between the educator and the children is that the educator can share a little more from his own experience about their common way towards this path love and giving. Thus, along with having a big friend, the child receives an example for the next stage to which he must aspire to reach. An educator who is able to make the child feel that he is an equal partner to him in a path to a more exalted goal in life makes his students feel true confidence and pride.