S is for Special, Successful and Sufferance.

As you have probably gathered by now, I think that the vast majority of the children I work with (or have worked with) try really hard and put in so much effort whilst they are at school.  The odd one doesn’t but I often think that is because they can see the reality of their situation – they see their peers able to do the things they are trying to learn and after a while they give up trying because it is just too hard – I’d do that too (I well remember trying to clear a high jump set well above my shoulder height that the other taller girls could do but I couldn’t – when it came to my final turn I just walked up and pushed the pole off the bars – needless to say I got a detention!)  These children often have the ability to do other things well and enjoy life outside of school so to them school is a place they would much rather not be and see no use for.  I wish I could change the school system for children such as these to accommodate them to play to their strengths but the education side is firmly set on improving grades in maths, reading and writing above all else.

Some of the students have had amazing ways of doing things that I couldn’t fathom (one child could manipulate complex shapes so well they could put patterns together upside down and back to front in a fraction of the time I could – yet they would struggle to name a 2D shape if asked).  Many have such kind and thoughtful feelings towards others, they make super support workers for younger children or they have such innovative ideas/sense of humour way beyond their years. 

It is the children that make going to work in a school the greatest job on earth.  I love their enthusiasm, their instant feedback, their new ideas, the un-diluted lust for life they possess – they give me so much joy in the work that I do that it helps balance the adult perspective within the setting of grinding out grades and keeping paperwork up to date and neatly filed!!

Each child is special and because of this every child has special needs – who amongst us can say we never struggle with learning anything new?  The good teachers amongst us try to adapt our day to day teaching with differentiation, visual aids, small group work and if we see that certain children need more we try other things out of our bag of magic tricks and ask others for increased support (enter my team and I).

I try very hard each day to make a special moment for all the children lives I touch so that they have this chance to see themselves as successful and enjoy that particular part of the school day knowing that for some that may be the moment they can relive when things are not going so great at other times.

I am always looking into the future for all the children I teach – I want them to be in employment, raising a family, having friends and being part of society in a productive way.  The 3Rs is only part of the whole to be successful in life so changing education to give everyone an equal chance at a successful outcome is what I would like to see.  School shouldn’t be a place of sufferance for some – school days should be the best days of our lives! 

My TpT resource is S is for Spelling Summer words:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Summer-Word-Spelling-Strips-1210938

and the Sing with me Sight Words TpT shop

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sing-With-Me-Sight-Words

where this month Heather Rice is donating all of her earnings towards providing a play area for a shelter who cater for children who have been abused.