Learning Takes Time: Lessons from an Orchid and a Pair of Chopsticks

There’s an orchid in our tutoring center that just bloomed—for the first time in years. And honestly? It stopped me in my tracks.

This little plant had been sitting there all along. We kept watering it. Giving it light. Moving it around. Talking to it like weirdly hopeful plant parents (and maybe singing to it every now and then). For years, it looked like nothing was happening. But underground, beneath the surface, it was doing its work. And this week, it gave us this perfect reminder: that growth isn’t always visible, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

The same is true for learning. And nowhere is that more evident than when I watch my daughter, Cora.

We’ve been working hard—at home and at school—on her fine motor skills. And the learning hasn’t been easy. She would get frustrated trying to do something small like use tweezers or pinch tiny beads. We kept going. Kept trying. Kept watering the roots.

And then, last week, she sat at a table in a sushi restaurant with her grandfather (Pop) and picked up a pair of chopsticks. In just a few minutes, she was using them like she’d been doing it her whole life. The ultimate fine motor challenge, and she nailed it. No prior experience with those tools. No formal practice or formal learning. Just the right moment, the right encouragement, and all the unseen effort clicking into place.

That’s how it works. It’s not always instant. It’s not always linear. But when we show up consistently with love, support, and belief in our learners, the bloom always comes.

At The Community Classroom, that’s what we believe in. Nurturing potential. Trusting the process. And celebrating every single bloom.

Like what you read? Check out more from The Community Classroom!

• Tiny Hands, Big Skills: The Best Fine Motor Games for Kids
• Public Education is on the Chopping Block—Why We Should All Be Worried

And we love this article on fine motor skills from our friends at Understood.