Date: December 2007

Update from Wadja Wadja

Download the full article by Jenny and Joel Rioux

Following is an extract:

We found eleven universal principles for success with these beautiful students:

1. Be compassionate to their emotional needs and humble.

2. Treat them with respect, care and kindness at all times no matter how difficult a situation may be.

3. Listen to students and try to understand them more.

4. Be with them, not above/below them, but more as a friend and mentor.

5. Be flexible; follow their needs, even if they do not match expectations at the time.

6. Protect and be mindful of their self esteem.

7. Stand back and be an observer; to get to know the child better.

8. Leave egos in the confinement of your own flat. Don’t let it get in the way of the students’ educational experiences.

9. Start first with simple concepts, what the students know and slowly build on that. Increasing the difficulty gradually as they become more confident in their abilities and as they trust you more and more.

10. Use few words to explain new concepts. Keep it simple and to the point.

11. Love the students unconditionally and show them that they are trusted and valued as human beings, no matter what they have done in the past.

12. Include altruism as a way of living.