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During one of my classes, I was about to introduce a mythological story. Before I even began speaking, a student glanced at the picture in the curriculum and said, “I hate it.” The comment was unexpected, and it stopped me for a moment. I simply replied, “But you don’t know about it yet.”

That pause turned into an important discussion about the word hate. We talked about how quickly we sometimes use strong language for things that are unfamiliar.

My favorite moment was when the other kids started adding their own thoughts about how important it is to be open to learning something new, along with “Ms. Ajanta, I think ‘hate’ is a bad word.”, “Ms. Ajanta, my teacher told me to never say hate about someone else.”

I asked the class what “hate” really means and whether it can apply to something we have not yet explored. The students shared examples from their own lives – foods they thought they disliked before trying, books they assumed were boring, or activities they avoided until someone encouraged them to give it a chance.

The moment reinforced a simple truth. Kids mirror what they see around them. If they learn early that it is normal to dismiss something at first glance, they will carry that habit forward. But if they are taught to pause, ask questions, and stay open, they build a mindset that helps them thrive in school and in life.