Glitz, challenge, friends and witty children!
Sun, Nov 29th 2009
What a week – glitz, challenge, friends and witty children – all rolled into 5 days. It started with me speaking at the York Racecourse. A great conference venue for nearly 200 Teaching Assistants. Isn’t it brilliant that, after all these years, we now can ‘officially’ offer our TA’s heart-felt gratitude and appreciation.
I remember as a class teacher, tired out, there were at least 6 children I didn’t properly engage with. They sort of seemed to slip past me, like water. Thankfully I had a TA in for a few afternoons a week – I would give her their names and ask her to draw my attention to them loudly, whenever they achieved anything socially or academically. In this way, at least, they felt noticed.
This conference was jam packed with great workshops, and lots of little luxuries we never get in education usually (our own coffee pots, special pens and chocolates). I especially liked the fact that all the TA’s were invited to bring along practical ideas that work – they sat around their large, round tables, during extra long breaks leading mini workshops. Paper and parachutes everywhere. Well done Chris Shipley for drawing together such a good team with a great vision.
Wow…..I also loved staying in York. Isn’t it beautiful at Christmas. It made my heart sing even before I caught evensong at the Cathedral. Even more wonderful I caught up with my friend Trish. In this hectic lifestyle I lead I often worry that I am no longer a good friend. I am always away – and I have a real antipathy to talking on the phone at night (I talk too much during the day). I do try and reach out by little cards or big parties – but the old, pre-freelance days of spontaneous time with friends and family – is pretty scuppered. So for me, a top joy is just to sit with friends and family and chat. It makes me feel grounded and normal!
Later that week I found myself back in Sheffield (where lots of great work is going on in primary and secondary schools). To make my training day come alive we had invited a circle of Year Two’s and their parents to come in the afternoon, so I could run a circle time with their teachers, supervisors and caretakers all watching. Well – these little children really made me smile. We were doing some drama in the middle of the circle as one girl had “changed” us all into kings and queens. We were strolling around with tall backs due to the heavy crowns on our heads and talking about our countries in very posh accents. “What is your country like? I asked a small freckly, tufted haired boy, “full of dogs” was the reply. Looks at me again intently; “pit-bull terriers with no leads or muzzles” looks at me again intently “…..and all with rabies”. I commiserated with him. The next little lad just raised his eyes to heaven and told me his country was just “full of babies….babies everywhere…..nappies in the trees…”. I don’t like playing ‘amateur psychologists’ – but it does make you wonder sometimes how their worlds must seem when some feature in it figures too strongly! Children do make me laugh out loud sometimes. A teacher told me that she was using my open forum strategy with a child in a circle who asked for help with his temper. All the kids put their thumbs up “would it help if …….” and came up with lots of ideas which didn’t seem to capture his enthusiasm. The final child looked at him and said genuinely “would it help if I gave you some of my Ritalin”. The teacher could hardly stifle her giggles. Thankfully he said “no thank you…..I prefer Wayne’s idea that he stops calling me names”!!
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