Road Trip: Along the Cliff Tops and Through the Tunnels

This is my second post for the A to Z Challenge Road Trip and I know I said I’d choose five blogs to comment on but the organisers say you can choose to bend or negate any rules so today’s lucky number is six.

I am not just visiting those on the Road Trip list but any that are recommended or that I find through comments left on other sites just to keep you in the loop if you’re interested.

http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/ - I found this to be a highly detailed blog – similar to my own as the posts contained many different words connected to the letter of the day and her chosen subject the coasts of Britain – so they certainly weren’t short posts either just like mine.  A very good round up of her posts with final comments and answers to questions posed showed what an amazing breadth the blog had covered during the challenge.  It’s like having a very learned friend.

http://fortyandfantastique.wordpress.com/  - the A to Z Challenge focused on things she would like to see and do in France and it was an interesting cultural experience – the odd French phrase thrown in for good measure.  A pleasant soujourn through a country I like and have visited so had plenty of appeal with lovely photographs.

http://stephanierosebirdstudio.blogspot.co.uk/ - this blog written by an artist was an amazing eclectic mix of art, paganism, art critique and history, healing, women’s rights etc the list is endless.  A little bit too much for my senses at time but very interesting and certainly if I had more time would keep re-visiting.

http://paws4puzzles.wordpress.com/ - rather a different type of blog because it is all to do with solving puzzles – so be prepared to spend ages!!!  The A to Z Challenge was completed successfully but there doesn’t appear to be any activity since although the blog has certainly been going for some time so assume it will continue again soon.  Will give me some time to catch up with those pesky puzzles, maybe!!

http://poetryofthenetherworld.blogspot.co.uk/ - came across this site following a comment left on http://yvonneventresca.com/  - they are a tribe of bloggers which makes for interesting blogging and a wide range of genre and experience.  They also took part in the NaMoWriMo which I had seen popping up in mentions on other sites – finally found out what it was all about – writing a poem for every day during April!!  Bit of a task I’d imagine.  The poems on this site were not short and had been obviously crafted well so made thoughtful reading.  I will certainly be keeping them on my blog roll.

My last submission for today was recommended by my good friend Fil the very talented musician over at http://fil-campbell.blogspot.co.uk/

www.findingeliza.com is an amazing collection of letters written from the writer’s grandfather to grandmother during the period 1907-1912.  I will be recommending this blog to genealogist Ros over at http://genwestuk.blogspot.co.uk/   The accompanying family photographs as well as postcards and other memorabilia of an up and coming black family in the United States make this a fascinating read.  It certainly appealed to my “teacher” side.

If you have any other blogs to recommend for me to visit on my winding road trip please don't hesitate to signpost them below.  Many thanks.

Transition

As we begin the summer term here in education land (why do spring and summer terms not equate with the actual seasons - going back on the 3rd January and calling it spring is cuckoo if you ask me and it certainly doesn't help the children's knowledge!!!) my thoughts as SENCO are to the following autumn term when children are transitioning to new classes and even more importantly to new schools.  Our year 6s all go off to begin their lives as secondary school students (learning to be small fish in very large ponds again) and the very young join our school for the first time (nursery) or begin life in more formal education settings (Reception).  For children with special needs, this can be a very scary and confusing time so getting it right is really important.

These would be the things on my wish list as a SENCO to make transition the best that it could be:

All children have a chance to visit their new setting (meet new teacher/s - see their classroom/s)

All parents have a meeting where they can talk about their child and any concerns they may have about their child beginning their new school

A member of staff who can be that parent and child's main contact and who can be contacted outside of school hours (e-mail preferably)

and in addition to this for all children with special needs:

several visits to their new school if they or their parents want this

a visit by the SENCO from the new school to the old school to discuss and maybe see the child in their current setting

an additional meeting with parents to discuss the issues and how they see their child's needs could be best met in the new setting

I know this takes time and I feel really pleased that having established bonds with the parents of children at my school they take the initiative in coming to see me to discuss problems before they become too big but I also worry that some parents of former students also come to speak to me because they don't have a rapport at their child's new school and their child is worried and struggling.

Talking SENCO to SENCO should be a priority - pieces of paper do not show the whole picture.  I have already talked to one secondary school because I know the file they will receive will not reflect the true picture of the child (they are on an integrated move to us - they were expelled from their previous school) and that this child can succeed if the correct support is put in.  I am still waiting for them to get back to me with a date they can look around the school (this was not offered until I specifically asked for it!!)

On the other hand, having pro-active SENCOs in other settings such as Children's Centre nurseries who invite you to call them to arrange a visit for both the SENCO and class teacher mean that before we have even met the message going back to parents will be "your child will be OK - the people in the next school care - they want to engage with you - they will support your child - everything is being done to make this a smooth move".  What parent doesn't want that for their child?

I have always been incredibly lucky with both of my own flesh and blood children that their education has been fine and any wobbles have been sorted out satisfactorily through talking with teachers.  But the children of friends have not always had such an easy passage and the difference a good "caring" teacher available to talk outside of school hours and make things happen has been instrumental in ensuring those children do not come off the rails and that they do achieve their full potential.

Let me know what you think about the next move your child is likely to make in their education.  What would you like to see happen to make things go well?  Do you have any concerns?  As a teacher, what would help you when children transition to your class?  Is support there for you too?

Road Trip to the Wild and Wacky

Well as promised (on a day when nothing really to report in the special education needs calendar) here are 5 blogs visited as part of my A to Z Road Trip.  

http://barnandbeach-blog.com/ - thought I’d show a little solidarity with my own country and check out the English countryside.  Looks like it was written solely for the A – Z Challenge and you have to do the thing of putting your e-mail etc etc before being allowed to post a comment so rather irksome.  Interesting for my geography teaching head on but unless something else is going to be posted will not be hitching that way again.

http://katsretirementjourney.blogspot.co.uk/ - wondered what retirement might mean to some so zipped over and found a comfy blog written about crafts, grandkids, food and gardening amongst other things – lots of lovely photos on a huge range of subjects and a blog that’s been going on for a good few years having recently celebrated her 700^th post.  Links to various other weekly posts so might be tempted to try a few of these myself if my blog begins to flag.  All in all will be heading back to become a follower and leave comments.

http://newhousegirl.blogspot.co.uk/ - the blog was written about Belgium and the Netherlands for the challenge but the main aspect is a funny blog with lots of stories about the writer and hubby and their escapades in the USA.  Another blog that has been going for some time and I will probably be stopping by once in a while to have a giggle.

http://robztobor.blogspot.co.uk/ - I came across this blog following back a comment left on Somberscribbler http://somberscribbler.wordpress.com/ and feel I have certainly been missing this blog in my life – eccentric certainly and just a little wacky – perfect English gentleman if you ask me!  The A to Z postings were an amazing poem but it appears another A to Z for May has now been undertaken so I will be following.  I also realised that this was the Rob Z Tobor (who had been mentioned by the AtoZ Challenge crew) who had visited nearly every blog during the challenge – where does he get his energy from?

http://hillblocksview.blogspot.co.uk/ - this blog came courtesy of the blog before being mentioned in Rob’s reflections post as the most funniest post throughout the challenge and I certainly have to agree it was very inventive and well done as were other posts on this blog during the challenge.  Flip the artist modestly says it is all down to him being a graphic artist but I think there’s more to it than that!

Not a bad haul really for the first day of driving through those other blogs – just around
 1, 900 more to go of the ones I missed first time round I think!!

Are any of these on your list of blogs you follow – any suggestions about where I should head next?  Hoping you’ll let me know your thoughts and feelings.

Driving Me Crazy

School is in full swing after the Easter holiday and already it feels as if we've been back for weeks and we even had a Bank Holiday on Monday (the school stall at the May Fayre was a roaring success by the way - we broke last year's record with the money raised - yipee!!)  So of course what should I decide to do but join up for the road trip - the button is on the side if you want to get involved too.

My aim will be to visit 5 different blogs a day and report my findings on whether they appealed to me or not. I am hoping to make contact with other teachers out there but actually I think some of the blogs I enjoyed the most were not about teaching - it's good to get other things into my life really - so it will end up being a bit of a hotchpotch with no particular rhyme nor reason.

My gripe of the day has to be that I was told by the authority's SEN team that if a child has made progress then really funding for that child is at risk as they no longer need the help.  Surely, if the child didn't make progress that would be when we should question whether added support is cost effective - if it is benefiting the child keep it going is what I say - sometimes I do feel as if I've fallen down the rabbit hole when it comes to talking to officials about special needs in education.

As always I'd love to have some feedback on your take on the situation.  If a child is making progress should that additional support be continued or withdrawn?  Should additional financing be given to schools if no progress is being made or should other schooling be looked at and be made available through the authority?

Reflections on A to Z Challenge

My thoughts on my first challenge was that it was so inspiring.  

1. It inspired to me to write daily.  
2. It inspired me to have the courage to put some of my "views" out there in the open.
3. It inspired me to leave my comfort zone and go and visit new blogs I would never normally have dared venture towards
4. It inspired me with lots of new ideas and stories I found out there written by some very talented people.
5. It inspired me to get better at learning about technical issues and asking for help.

I really do want to say a big thank you to the organisers for creating all of this.  I have loved it.  I have been energised by it.  I made sure I replied to every comment I received and I shall miss it but I will also be really looking forward to next year.

I tried to visit five new blogs everyday but have to confess I did find this difficult (due to time constraints) and also sometimes found it very hard to leave a comment or to follow someone - it was normally easier if wordpress or blogger as I am a member of both - didn't want to fill in all the details "google" wanted.

I did find favourites which I returned to regularly and some I even began to think of as my "friends" out in cyberspace.

I particularly liked:

Fil's Place - her love of folk and Irish music history and the many song snippets she posted gave me tranquil moments in my frenzied blogging activity    http://fil-campbell.blogspot.co.uk

Drew Llew - his amazing stories made me guffaw out loud so many times   http://drewllew.wordpress.com/

Glenda was really great at commenting on my blog and giving me a thumbs up on my viewpoint and telling it how it is on the US education front and I enjoyed seeing a high school perspective in her blog http://evolvingenglishteacher.blogspot.co.uk/

2 Smart Wenches was another teaching blog from the U.S. who gave me much needed support  http://2smartwenches.blogspot.co.uk/

Ros through her genealogy blog gave me loads of new information and made me really want to research my family roots when I have some time to devote to this hobby   http://genwestuk.blogspot.co.uk/

The wonderfully named Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax and Cabbages and Kings gave me visual daily delights with her wonderful pictures and commentary on the art of Degas http://castlepinesnorth.blogspot.co.uk/

and lastly but by no means least (although I was too much in awe to leave a comment)

Not a Punk Rocker - gave me a "no holds barred, gutsy - zany, poignant, edgy" hit on life in her rather difficult world on a daily basis  http://notapunkrocker.wordpress.com/

Thank you to everyone who became a follower or left a comment it made everything worthwhile.  I'd love to stay in touch so don't be a stranger!

May Day May Day

May always seems to be such a busy month - despite two bank holidays - everything else is at break neck speed as we head towards half-term.  Maybe it's SATs that stresses us all out or just that you realise that all the things you wanted the children to have covered this year won't be done in the time remaining.  Sports days, school trips, summer concerts etc etc all seem to be scheduled for the end of the year so the timetables are all over the place and even more teaching time is lost!!

To be honest, many of the children I work with do not like this term because it isn't normal - they prefer routine - they want to be doing lessons with the teachers they know rather than swapping and changing all over the place to accommodate all the other things that need to be done.  But at the same time, it is often then that these children, in doing these other things, can be on a level footing with many of their peers.  How many times on school trips have I seen those children blossom, under the hands on guidance from one of the museum assistants, zoo keepers, castle guides etc, who have no preconceived ideas about them?  Just because you can't read or write as well as your friends doesn't mean you can't beat them in the egg and spoon race or maybe land a solo part as a singer in the concert.

Tomorrow I will be helping out (on my day off ) at the local May Fair in order to raise funds for my school - I will no doubt see many of the children there including former pupils.  Fingers crossed it will be a sunny day.

And before I sign off, a shout out for the 2 day TpT sale that starts on Tuesday with 20% off all products in my store as well as others

Gearing up for SATs

Well the count down has now truly begun for SATs week over here in England.  Primary school children in Years 2 and 6 will be having the past year's work moderated and tests will be taken.  These results will be used to make comparisons and judgements about schools - whether you have lots of children with special needs in your school will be inconsequential when the results are published in the press and the results tables will show who has achieved 100% of their children achieving level 4.  Not a very level playing field and once again a very difficult one to truly access the state of education for children with SEN in mainstream schools as many special schools do not publish results due to the small numbers of children sitting the exams.

I am also wary of the local authority moderators who have in the past have come in to my school and made judgements without me present about levels where due to the strange nature of the system being awarded a level 1 or 3 means that a child is decreed to be achieving at a level 1b or 3b whereas a level 2 is published in its three separate categories of either a 2c, 2b or 2a.  This has meant that children in my special needs maths group have been given a level 1 and recorded as having reached 1b at age 7 where in fact they are just beginning to consolidate work at a level 1c and are unlikely to progress to a 1b for at least another year due to their very slow (but significant to them) progress.  This will therefore mean that it will look like they have stalled in their learning and have made no progress through the coming year - a real help to the poor teachers and students who are trying so hard!!  Likewise a bright child who may achieve a level 3c in reality will now due to the government's insistence on increasing attainment be recorded as having achieved a level 3b and be expected to achieve a level 6c in four years time for the school to be judged as "outstanding".  If they do not achieve at least a level 5b the school will be classed as in need of improvement!!  Great isn't it - and what does this actually benefit anyone in the long run - worn out teachers and children made to jump ever higher and in some cases turned off learning.

I am all for providing a good and stimulating education for children but at what price?

Let me know your views as parents and teachers - are tests and results the be all and end all of a primary education?