Month: April 2014

A few more days till incense, bells, processions of priests who look like they have stepped back in time as well as chocolate overload, roast lamb and family feasting. We LOVE these festivals- no matter what our creed.

But before the feasting and chocolate overload comes the sadness, the sombre tones of Good Friday, hot crossed buns, altars stripped bare, churches bereft of flowers; then the waiting and deep reflection as down to the tomb Christians go and there it is:  the unbridled joy of Easter morning. And what a glorious morning it always seems to be!

We love our bells and smells- but why? And why do children love these times so much?

I don’t think it is just the ancient symbol of Easter bunny, delicious chocolate or butter soaked hot cross buns children hang out for. I don’t think it is even the absence of school- although that is certainly a welcome event for many!

Instead, it is the ritual itself, the sense of order, “holy routine”, tradition- call it what you may. This turning of the wheel both comforts us, uplifts us and  pushes us to explore the “otherness” inside and outside ourselves.

In this very secular world, so many children are denied the opportunity to explore from a faith perspective with parents feeling that absence of Temple, Mosque or Church will allow more freedom for children to think. I believe it actually has the opposite effect. Children have this deep need for ritual, routine and faith- it is build in to us- sort of like a “God gene”.

We have a time during every teaching session called the GATHERING. Children LOVE this time and hang out for it- and complain loudly if we miss it! During this time we turn the lights down, switch on an enormous red star, sing a motivational song, acknowledge the traditional owners of the land and give out merit certificates.

The children are so quiet and attentive during this time and each day I am reminded of their deep hunger for this sense of tradition, this ancient gathering and the comfort of community.

So- if not a church going family, why not at least light a candle together at dinner time this Easter and tell children it represents the light that love brings into the world? Why not tell them that the chocolate in their Easter eggs is so sweet- just like the sweetness of human kindness and maybe write a few family goals for the coming year? Tell them that eggs are like life beginnings and so are our goals.

Whatever your creed (or lack of), Easter can be a time for renewal- renewal of ourselves, our hopes and visions, our love for each other and our deep understanding of ourselves and this wonderful world we dwell in!

Let’s spread so much love and kindness from this time on that we provide an antidote to the terrible KKK killings in the US, terrorist bombing in Nigeria and all the conflict and evil around us. The light IS stronger than the dark. Darken your rooms this Easter and then switch on the lights and tell your children this is what love can do for the world- it can illuminate every grotty, evil corner and flood it with warmth, comfort and kindness!

 

Yet again we have had the unhappy experience of seeing one of our really bright kids labelled because he does not fit the educational mould! This is a young man with exceptional ideas, writing ability and very high maths logic intelligence. This kid will probably become a famous sci-fi writer or an inventor/scientist- this is of course unless the system manages to stick him in a box, shut the lid and label him learning disabled. (They have been trying for 3 years!)  Fortunately his brave and far sighted parents have been able to stand tall and show their belief in their son- but what a battle they have had!

Sure his handwriting is poor (so is mine!) and he goes off on thinking tangents when reflecting deeply (not unusual for a very bright person!). This kid also does not “play the game”. He yawns when tired or bored and is not interested in impressing the increasing number of eager “education box fillers” so totally skews their test results.

All my teachers agree with me- this kid is gifted yet learns differently! Why not nurture his talents and allow him to be the person God programmed him to be! As we keep up our slow march into Holy Week we would be wise to ponder and remember the wise men and women of history who were also labelled, not accepted and treated so badly by the establishment. Have we really come very far at all in 2014 years?

As we start the big countdown to Holy Week I notice the many references to faith and cannot help thinking about STAR KIDS- Students At Risk.

They desperately want us to believe in them and to keep that faith- even through their dark walks in the educational wilderness!

Yesterday I worked with a very mixed group of Primary kids- 3 years ahead to three years behind and I was struck by the way that they all have challenges and gifts. 2 of the group of 12 were pretty close to being maths geniuses and 2 fairly close behind that! 4 were very gifted with creative writing and I child who is meant to have literacy problems could not get his nose out of our wonderful Easter books!

As we were playing a finishing learning game I commented to them about how high their SMART factor was- they looked very pleased and I told them we only take SMART kids. One child looked at me STUNNED-(very low self-esteem child) and I explained that ALL kids are smart but don’t always get to show it. I grabbed my new book ALL KIDS ARE SMART and did a flip through pointing out various contents and one of them asked if they could compose a song entitled ALL KIDS ARE SMART! Of course I grabbed the opportunity and now their holiday task is to write a song for our ALL KIDS ARE SMART song competition!

The thing is- they ARE all smart but we so often miss it and we need to keep the faith in our children and know the lights are on there somewhere and we have to be like patient cavers plumbing the depths of our kids’ brains. The lights are there- but we have to help flip the switch with creative, innovative teaching methods that do not discriminate against children. In other words- if they learn differently- teach differently!

I have just completed a 2 day STAR (Students at Risk) seminar for teachers in Adelaide and once again I am wrung out, exhausted and empty and in awe of what makes these teachers tick!

Each time I run this seminar only teachers who really want to be there register and they know EXACTLY what they want and make sure they get it. It is like they come on behalf of their class, determined to get answers and to have more strategies to take back to help their kids.

This course is transformative and a real journey as we track down the reasons for the problems, realise the problems may actually turn out to be gifts and learn how to plan a practical plan to lift the self-esteem and academic performance of low achieving students. We look at the following issues:

• There are so many students who miss out on what they actually need as we hurtle in our great speed dragging these protesting kids with us and never asking them what they need. There is only one way to REALLY help these STAR children and it can be messy, time consuming and does not often entail yet more tests and labels being slapped all over them!
• To TRULY help a failing child, a teacher needs to get on the floor with them and BE with them- talk to them, ask them about themselves, observe them, travel for awhile on their uneven, obstacle strewn pathway and patiently work out a plan WITH the child. They love it when a teacher takes the time to observe, chat and get to know them.
  These kids are human beings- not some sort of machine to be set on a factory line and stuffed full of knowledge. We need to try looking for their interests and strengths and use these to work on weaknesses.

Above all

• These STAR children need hope, our belief in them and they need to see possibilities- especially the possibility that a system that has so badly failed them can actually change and acknowledge we are all different, all need each other and no- we don’t need to all learn in the same way!