#18 We will always remember them

One of the wonderful things about being a teacher is explaining and celebrating what's happening in the world around us. This year, some of the children have been to visit the fantastic display of poppies at the Tower of London. That led to all sorts of questions about World War One and kick started a topic that reached a climax yesterday in an incredibly moving and powerful Remembrance Day.

We started by looking at some of the stories of soldiers from the trenches, in diaries and letters to loved ones. We read about John Parr and George Ellison; the first and last soldiers to die in the conflict, and remarkably buried just a few feet away from one another. We read about Sargent Henry Tandey, a compassionate and highly decorated officer who allowed a wounded German soldier to retreat rather than shooting him. That German soldier went on to become Adolf Hitler and the rest is history. We read about the role of women, children and animals at war. Some of the children researched their own family history with parents, and we discovered the stories of their own Great Great Grandparents.

Following this, we looked at poetry, and this is where the project really came alive. Using poems such as Flanders Fields, For the Fallen and Dulce at Decorum Est for inspiration, children drafted their own poems. Over a week of careful and precise writing, children practised their skills in rhyme, personification and rhythm. Some even used Latin in their poems, following the example of Wilfred Owen. Not bad for a 10-year old!

The results were quite frankly staggering. Every child captured the brutality and the humanity of war in deeply moving ways. Here's one example, that actually featured on BBC Radio York and BBC 5 Live last night:

As much as I enjoyed my visit to see the poppies at the Tower of London, I felt surprised by the reaction of the crowds. I didn't expect to see people taking selfies with the poppies in the background. I didn't expect so much laughter and talking. I'd hoped for more space and silence for reflection and remembrance. Instead it has become a tourist attraction (and rightly so, as it is a fantastic spectacle).

But when it's reflection and reverence that I'm looking for, I need look no further than the words of this poem, written by a 10-year old girl, 100 years after World War began.

People often speculate as to when children will stop commemorating November 11th in the way we do. I actually think it's children who are setting the example - they will never forget the sacrifices past generations have made for them. Nor will I.

Lest we forget.

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Five things I've learnt this half term

The reason I set up this blog was to charter my own journey of learning as I teach. In Year 6, we teach a rich and varied curriculum, and I'm always finding out fascinating things that I'd never been aware of before. Here are five of my favourites from this half term.

1. A British soldier had the chance to kill Hitler in WW1

This story made my jaw drop, and led to a very interesting discussion about how the world might have been a better place if Henry Tandey had pulled the trigger. A wounded German was trying to retreat. Tandey's rifle was trained on him. The German looked round and their eyes met. Tandey thought the young German may have had a family. In sympathy, he let the man go. That man was Adolf Hitler. In World War Two, he became the most brutal dictator the world has ever known. What's more, Tandey found out who the German was in a phone call from the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. How must he have felt? It's a fascinating and mind blowing story. You can read my Guided Reading activity on it by following the link below.
The Soldier who spared Hitler's life

2. Roald Dahl was a WW2 fighter pilot

Prior to becoming the world's most famous children's author, Roald Dahl was a fighter pilot in the RAF. During our literacy lessons on biography, we looked at his auto-biography, 'Going Solo'. Our class were on the edge of their seats as he recounted the tale of a crash in the African desert which almost cost him his life. After getting lost and running out of fuel, his Gladiator plane crashed and Dahl was knocked unconscious. Waking up, he could smell aviation fuel and see flames. He dragged himself away from the plane before it exploded. Bullets and shrapnel miraculously avoided his body. It took hours before he was found, and the injuries he sustained ended his flying career. From this he eventually got into writing. Alongside the books for which he is best known, Dahl also wrote the screen plays for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and somewhat bizarrely, James Bond: The Spy Who Loved Me. When he died in 1990, he was buried with some of his favourite things - chocolate, wine, pencils and a power saw!
More Dahl facts

3. Dick Turpin was not a dandy bravado

The legendary highwayman, Dick Turpin, was not the brave and courageous man that literature would have us believe. Instead, he was an ageing, pock-faced, plain looking man who lived in a cave and hunted in a gang. He wasn't one to take on stage coaches single handedly. He would often prey on the weak and vulnerable, such as elderly widows. His eventual capture, however, was a remarkable coincidence. He had moved to Yorkshire from Essex some years previously, and changed his name to John Palmer to evade capture for his gruesome crimes. In a bizarre twist of fate, his old school teacher, who now worked as a post master, recognised his handwriting on a letter to his father, and turned him in. The children loved this story, as well as the excellent Horrible Histories video of the tale, performed in the style of Adam Ant.
Horrible Histories: Dick Turpin

4. Edvard Munch's Scream is screaming out at open spaces

I've often wondered what the Scream is actually screaming at. Well now I know, thanks to our art topic on mood and emotions. The abstract piece of art, which has inspired some wonderful pieces from children in my class, is actually representing Munch's own agoraphobia. The skull shaped head represents his fear of death. The image recalls a specific event when he was walking across a bridge with friends and felt 'a tinge of melancholy'. The people he was with kept walking (visible to the left of the picture), the sky became a bloody red and he heard a piercing scream. The scream was his own.
This term is actually the first time I have taught art. In my NQT year last year, I was on PPA when my class had art. My only previous experience was an OFSTED inspected lesson during my training year, which was deemed as 'inadequate.' I've come a long way since then!

5. Witches don't use even numbers in spells

We've been doing Shakespeare in literacy. Macbeth. I wasn't looking forward to teaching it. But I loved it, and so did the kids. With battles, ghosts and murders, there's certainly a lot to keep the children interested. When looking at the poem of the Three Witches, we noticed these lines:

Second Witch 
  2    Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined. 

"Why doesn't she just say four times?" one of my children asked. Good question. Armed with tablets, I asked the children to find out the answer. The reason is that even numbers were considered inappropriate to magical spells. (It's just a shame that with Halloween coming up, I live at number 27)

________________________________________________________________________________

That's what I've learned this half term. Do I get a sticker?

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#17 It's time for Fair Pay

In late 2009, I made the decision to be a teacher. My prime motivation was, and still is, to serve within a community, helping children to realise their potential. The pay and pension scheme was an added bonus, providing my family with a comfortable lifestyle and security for the future.

During that same year, the funeral march had begun for a Labour Government whose twelve years in power had been built on the premise of "Education, education, education." And education was all the better for it.

The following year, the funeral was over. Labour were well and truly dead and buried. The new government quickly set to work on dismantling what Labour had built. Meanwhile, the new chancellor raided the pensions and salaries of public sector workers in order to reduce the national debt.

Of course, I didn't need to tell you that - you already knew. But the reason I'm writing about it today is that the profession I aspired to join in 2009 had fundamentally changed by the time I started my training in 2012. The generous pension scheme I liked the sound of had been reduced significantly. I was told that I should expect to be teaching until the age of 68. Finally, the salary that had attracted me had been reduced in real terms by between 10% and 15% as pay freezes were at odds with high rates of inflation.

On the march for Fair Pay: 'Britain Needs a Payrise' 18th Oct 2014

I am a husband and father of two. We own a modest three-bed semi. We can afford to run one car. We haven't had a holiday this year. I'm not quite sure how we'll afford Christmas presents, but we'll get by.

And so I'm left wondering...is this it? Is it too much to ask for enough money to take my own children on holiday? Perhaps it is. It pains me to say this, but there is a very good chance that the Conservatives will remain in power after the next election, and if that happens, then below inflation pay increases will be the norm until 2018 at the earliest. By this time, a teacher is likely to be worth 20% less than they were a decade previously. What's more, trainees will have to fork out £9000 in fees just to do a PGCE.

All the while, the government are adding to the pressures and workload of teachers by driving up the standards to compete with the 'best' education systems in the world. But how can a world-leading education system be created if the government itself doesn't even value the profession?

I think we could create a world leading education system. To do it, things need to change.

Fair pay. Please.

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#16 The most important schooling a child receives is at home

This week, I have put my Year 6 class through the joys of sitting the 2014 SATS assessments, just so we can gauge where they are at. Whilst most of the children accustomed themselves very well, there were one or two who really struggled.

One child in our Year 6 simply cannot read and write at the level need to pass in the SATS. Although this child has been through every intervention going, there remains the sorry prospect that they will leave our school, after six years of education, as illiterate. This is my nightmare scenario and I often wake up in the mornings with this child on my mind. I've trawled the Internet for what to do next, but can't help but think we may have missed the boat.

It's a well known fact in education that a child is at their most receptive to learning in the early years and as they go through up school this capacity to learn gradually reduces. The truth is that before a child has even set their foot in the classroom, a crucial stage in their learning has taken place.

Parents have a huge responsibility to ensure that their child is ready for school but many parents take the view that at 5, that responsibility ends, and passes over to the school. This is wrong. Parents and schools are involved in an unofficial partnership. Together, they are responsible for the learning journey of children.

My 5-year old daughter comes home from school with books in her book bag every night, and every night my wife and I try to make sure she reads to one of us. Usually, she enjoys reading, but sometimes it is under duress! She is aware though of the importance of mastering this basic skill. As a teacher, I'm fully aware that good readers become good writers, so we help her with her spellings; encourage her to write short stories at home; make comments about her handwriting and suggest ways in which she could make her work better. All the time, we lavish praise on her, and as a result, her confidence and enthusiasm is growing in her reading and writing.

This learning at home goes beyond reading and writing. In fact, there are more basic building blocks that we need to be intentional about. In the acquisition of new language skills, children listen, then speak, then read and finally write. So how can we improve our child's speaking and listening skills? It's simple. I don't want to come across as a smug parent, because I know there is an awful lot I get wrong, but one thing I get right is that I ensure that my family and I sit down together at the table for an evening meal. However busy it is at work, this time is sacred. It's family time. Half an hour a day. We've got into the habit of taking it in turns to talk about our days and question each other on the things we've been doing. The children (I have two girls, 5 & 3) love this. Once we have done this, we play a few games, such as going round the table thinking of different flowers or animals or something. It's like Mallet's Mallet, but without the mallet. Sometimes we play 'Who Am I?', or 'Guess the animal.' These are simple games which entertain us, but are also vital to the learning development of our children. Sometimes I think that half-an-hour we have together each day is their most valuable learning of the day.

For parents who take the opposite view - that schools are responsible solely for the learning of their child, I have a message:

There is no-one in a school who loves and cares for your child as much as you do. There is no-one in a school who individually spends as much time with your child as you do. So use that time well - talk to them, read with them and encourage them to write. They will thank you for it one day.

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#15 RE is a vital part of a child's education

My Year 6's and I get into some pretty deep discussions.

As a class, they fall into one of three categories. The first group is a handful of vocal and opinionated girls. The second group is half a dozen thoughtful and reflective boys. The third group don't really care but listen politely

Yesterday, my RE lesson on the five pillars of Islam was hijacked by a heated debate on arranged marriage in the Muslim culture. 

The majority of the class, particularly my opinionated girls, thought it was wrong and were stinging in their condemnation of it. The debate moved swiftly onto honour killings, and the children impressed me with their knowledge of current affairs, spouting out stories from the papers.

That said, I decided to step in at that point to say that honour killings are very rare in the wider scheme of things, and actually arranged marriages in the vast majority of cases are much more successful than marriages in western culture (if divorce rates are anything to go by).

We eventually came to an agreed viewpoint that it may not be for us personally, but we have no right to criticise it in our culture.

Our understanding of world cultures and religions is instrumental in our ability to live in harmony with our neighbours. The teaching of RE is vital for children to develop a tolerance and respect of those they share the planet with. Sadly, there are evil forces at work that want to put an end to that.

Here is an extract from the 'Just Say No' campaign by the British National Party:

Don´t let this happen to your child! These unfortunate British children were forced by their school to visit a mosque and dress up as Muslims under the guise of ´religious education´. No-one has to stand for this wicked indoctrination.

The BNP are urging parents to write to their schools asking for their children to be removed from RE lessons. They have provided a letter template and a well-organised awareness campaign is underway.

I have taken children to mosques and have always enjoyed the experience. I have felt welcomed by Muslims who have shared their faith in a sensitive and informative way. The very thought that an Imam would use a school visit for 'indoctrination' amuses me!

But maybe there is something more going on here. Ever since 9/11, Muslims the world over have been unfairly viewed with suspicion and discrimination. In recent months, a murderous organisation using the banner of 'Islamic State' has shocked the world with its treatment of minority groups and brutal killings of westerners. Does this mean that Islam should be seen as an enemy? Of course not! The very thought is preposterous. Indeed, Imams from across the world have been universal in condemning the actions of the Islamic State. They say that the Qu'ran has been taken way out of context, and many have gone as far as saying that IS are heretics. IS are a tiny, yet powerful and significant organisation of terror. They're not representative of modern day Islam...far from it.

The area I work in as not multi-cultural, nor is it racist. On occasion, I hear bigoted comments from parents and children, but this is ignorance rather than anything more malicious, and is quickly corrected. I fear, however, that these parents will be the target of the BNP's campaign of poison. It would fill me with sadness if the parent of a child in my class sent that letter.

My message to any parent wishing to remove their child from RE is this: If you want your child to live in a world of fear, intolerance, prejudice and hatred, then go ahead.  If you believe it's better to hope, not hate, then don't write the letter. Your child will thank you for it one day.

And one more thing...if a parent still wants to send the letter, then it's their statutory responsibility to provide RE lessons to their child at school. That may put them off the idea.

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#14 You have to broad shouldered to be a Computing Coordinator

After completing my NQT year, I was expected to take on a subject leadership role. I was gently persuaded that my skills and expertise would be ideal for the role of Computing Coordinator.
In my

I envisioned that this role, like any other subject leadership role, would involve ensuring that teachers had the tools at their disposal to teach a full syllabus in computing, and monitoring the effectiveness of that teaching.

I also had in mind that I may have some 'superhero' moments, stepping in to solve ICT based problems for desperate teachers in front of a class of expectant children. Indeed, that has been the case. On numerous occasions. In my short tenure of the role, I have been called to hall twice, to purposefully stride to the front and make a computer work, thus saving the assembly from impending doom. I have been called to people's classrooms, in the middle of my own lessons, to try to make a non-interactive whiteboard interactive, and to work out why a mouse isn't working. I've been harangued by frustrated staff who seem to think that their computer-based problems are somehow my fault.

When I started the role, I had no idea that part of my remit was to manage almost a dozen boxes of cables - HDMI, USB, VGA...the list goes on. I had no idea that I was responsible for all battery-powered devices in school (does this include clocks, I wonder?).

It's a far cry from my own days as an 11-year old when a piece of cutting edge technology, the BBC Micro Computer (which was in no way 'micro'), burst onto the scene. That was the only computer in the school. A tank of a machine, it would rarely go wrong, and to spend just fifteen minutes in its presence was a joy to behold.

In short, I've drawn the short straw. I've taken on a huge role; one which is used in every single subject; even in the school office, I am drawn into debates with contractors who aren't providing a good service. And I don't get paid anything extra for this.

Do I regret this? Not just yet. Computing is at the very heart of modern life, and in the modern classroom. When everything works, the children enjoy their learning and make rapid progress. Computing helps to shape them for the world we are preparing for where computers, mobiles, tablets and digital devices govern every area of 21st Century life.

Having said that, I've worked out that I can save myself a lot of time with a 3-step plan to help teachers sort out their issues without calling me:

Teachers: If you are having issues with your PC, follow these 3 steps:  
1.  Turn it off and on again.  
2. Fiddle with the wires
3. Give it a gentle but assertive tap.

In my experience, this plan will solve 95% of problems. If your PC is in the other 5%, then you may have to be resourceful and come up with a Plan B!

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#13 A Tale of Two Parents

I often wonder what the most important professional relationship is for a teacher. Is it with the Headteacher? Is it with fellow teachers? Could it be with a Teaching Assistant? Oh, what about the children? (Probably best to include that one).

Or how about this: parents.

On Thursday this week I had two encounters with parents which couldn't have been more different.

In the morning, the father of a member of my class who has recently suffered a family tragedy thanked me for how I had supported his child through the process. His words humbled me greatly, and I was touched that even in a time of grief, he had shared this with me.

After school, I received a phone call where another parent 'raised her concerns' about our election of school councillors. I patiently explained our democratic process; that all candidates had the chance to present a speech; all children voted without talking to others; and that two members of staff had verified the vote. Pretty robust (are you listening, Scotland?). Eventually, the parent admitted that the reason for her complaint was that her child wasn't selected. That's politics.

There are other teachers in my school who would have taken a very different approach with that phone call. After all, when in school, we are the professionals and should be trusted to get on with our jobs. As a parent myself, though, I can see things from a parent's point of view. Whilst I would rather not be seen as 'interfering' with my own children's education, there have been occasions when I have picked up the phone myself to school.

With this in mind, I have developed a new approach to interactions with complaining parents. I try my very hardest to see the situation through their eyes; ensure they know the full facts (often children neglect to pass on critical information to parents!) and provide them with reassurances about how the situation will get better. There's no need for confrontation. That just creates barriers that aren't helpful to anyone. No, parents and teachers are on the 'same side'. We have the same interests at heart - the happiness and education of children. it's just that our means to achieve those interests may differ slightly.

As for those occasions when a parent gives a compliment about the impact you have made in their child's life...well, that is just about the most rewarding thing that a teacher can hear.

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#12 Teaching ISN'T the most important part of the job

This is pretty controversial, so prepare yourself: Teaching is NOT the most important role of the teacher.

After a six week break, many children are not ready for school. Some can't wait to get back. For others it's an escape from what can be an unhappy and even harmful home life.

So far, I've dealt with numerous parental break ups, family tragedies and on occasion those nasty cases where a child has disclosed something truly horrible that has to be passed on to the relevant authorities.

When I'm faced with a child's tears because of something that is happening at home, my heart breaks for them. As a teacher, that's the time when I have to put lessons, planning, marking and to do lists to one side and simply be there for them.

Each day, I spend six hours with my class. From Monday to Friday, I spend more time with them than they spend with their own parents. I know what makes them laugh. I know what makes them cry. I know everything about them, so my role is much more than simply teaching them lessons. You need a whole lot more in your locker than what you learn in teacher training. You need compassion. Sadly, there is also a great responsibility to report anything that is out of place in children's lives, which can cause great tension between parents and schools. Ultimately, though, the safety and protection of the child comes way before SATS results and school league tables.

Father. Teacher. Social Worker. It's the holy trinity of teaching.

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#11 You can say no

OK. I didn't do it. I got nominated for the Ice Bucket Challenge, and I declined. I paid money to a charity of my choice, but politely said no.

That's not to say I haven't enjoyed the spectacle. I watched countless celebrities getting cold for MND, enjoying George W.Bush in particular. Inevitably, as the campaign gathered momentum and broke into the lives of mere mortals, I laughed as I saw friends garble speeches, like condemned men at the gallows, before they got soaked. I even took a bit of delight from watching some 'Ice Bucket Fails' when the challenge goes a little wrong. All the while, in the back of my mind, I was thinking 'when will it be my turn?'

Then it came, on Wednesday. Not once, not twice, but three times was I nominated. Nearly all of my friends had done the deed, so perhaps they'd looked through their friends lists and thought, 'Wow, who can I pick who HASN'T done the challenge?

But I said no. Why? I am a killjoy? Was I scared about tipping ice over my head? Of course not. I just thought that the campaign had become so huge that there was nothing I could do individually to raise awareness for MND. Everyone in the country knows what those three letters stand for. It's a worthy charity, but actually not one that I feel called to support personally. So if I took the challenge, it would basically be because someone had told me to: "You have 24 hours."

And I have a bit of a problem with that. At school, children face peer pressure on a daily basis. It's important to do something to fit in. Don't question just do it. Follow the leader. Wear the right clothes. Do the same things. Don't make choices for yourself, just do what everyone else is doing.

There is another type of person that likes to follow the crowd, but has to try and go one better. I read about the teenager who had tragically (and foolishly) lept to his death off a cliff after taking part in the challenge. Why did he do it? Was that for charity? Was that to raise awareness of MND? Or was it to impress his friends?

And I know what's awaiting me when I return to school next week. Many children in my Y6 class are on Facebook. They shouldn't be, but they are, and there's nothing we can do. They've seen celebrities doing it. They've seen their parents do it. Sooner or later, they will get nominated themselves, purely because they are on Facebook.

Will they be doing it for MND? Should they be drawn into this? There is a danger it could all go too far and MND becomes a meaningless sideshow.

Before I finish, let me just say this - I love social media. I love being able to share pictures and videos instantly with friends and family all over the world. I love the way it has massive power to make changes for good. I love how it raises awareness of world issues. I love the way charities are benefiting from a whole new audience of givers. And I'm not saying that if a similar challenge took place in the future, I would decline again.

It's just that on this occasion, I have chosen to say no. Why? Because I can. It's MY choice.

It's also my choice to give money to a charity, of my choice. That is something that I know WILL make a difference.

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Guided Reading - Iraq

In my previous post, I posed some ideas as to how teachers could interact with the current situation in Iraq. Well, here is a guided reading activity that I have written, available through my page on the TES resources site. Go to the website for a free download, with questions and answers. Hope you and your class find it helpful.

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#10 Schools can change the world

Looking at the news this week, I've been feeling really down.

In the Middle East, Palestinian terrorists are attacking Israel, and Israel are retaliating by bombing Gaza into submission. In Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Christians have been sent into the mountains to die simply because of their religious beliefs.

Ethnic cleansing on this scale has been rarely seen since the World Wars, and as we mark the centenary of the beginning of WWI, we have to ask the question 'have we learnt nothing at all?'

In both of those stories, the media is keen to stress how children are frequently the victims here. Children. Girls who should be skipping to school with bunches in their hair. Boys who can't wait for break time to get out and kick a football. Instead, they are killed and maimed simply because they happened to be born in the wrong country.

In the west, we really don't know how lucky we are, but it shouldn't be this way. Every child has the right to a childhood, safe from harm and exploitation. But we can do something about this.

As a teacher, I have noticed that schools often educate children about very contentious issues. They encourage children to make choices about morality and raise awareness of the importance of charitable giving. In September, World War One will be a focus of many schools up and down the land, and children will gain knowledge and insight about that chapter in our collective history. Schools are very good at teaching, and even analysing history BUT (and it is a big but) they are not always so good at telling children what is happening RIGHT NOW.

Be it lack of understanding; lack of time in the curriculum; fear of being political or even blind ignorance, most schools will completely gloss over Iraq and Gaza this September. Yet as teachers, we are in the unique position of having a group of twenty or thirty young people with us for six hours every day. There is no other sphere of life that brings people together so frequently in such a melting pot. Further to this, these children don't want to be passive observers...they want to change the world, and we as teachers have the great privilege of facilitating that.

So what can we do?

1. Share the story

Some children will know about the issues, but others won't. Often parents choose to shield their children from news like this. Find a child-friendly source of news that will be accessible to all children, and not too graphic in content. I often start a class discussion by watching BBC Newsround. They will have plenty of video material on these recent conflicts.

2. Give

It's only when we see the plight of others that we understand how fortunate we are to live in the west, and an important response is to donate some of our worldly wealth. This could be money; Christmas presents for children; paper and pens; baby clothes...the list goes on. School's are often tied in to commitments with charities meaning non-uniform days (the quickest and easiest way of raising a few hundred pounds) are booked in for the year. That said, school's also need to be reactive to where the most pressing need for help is. Right now, there are humanitarian crises in Iraq and in Gaza. The easiest way to donate money to any of these appeals is through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). This website can be used for any area of need in the world at any particular time.

You may want to do something slightly different...how about a sponsored sleepover in school? You could build makeshift shelters to try and go some way to understanding what life is like for Iraqi Christians trapped on a mountain.

3. Pray

OK, quite a contentious one here, especially given that these conflicts have religion as their root cause. Having said that, the vast majority of believers of all of the world's religions are praying right now for peace and relief for those that need it. Praying can be important for children as it helps them to be reflective; see situations through different eyes; and feel that they can do something about a situation. Whether you're a faith school or not, prayer can be a powerful tool in mobilising your class behind a common cause. Prayer doesn't have to be boring either...in fact it can be extremely creative and fun. Here are some ideas as to how you might use prayer in your classroom to engage with this topic.

4. Write

As an adult, this is one of those ideas that we like the sound of but rarely do anything about, if we are honest. But with children, persuasive writing is part of the curriculum, and is even more engaging for children if we are actually going to do something with the work. So what can we right about? How about asking the Government to increase aid from our country? Or banning the export of weapons from EU countries to these conflict zones? Or putting pressure on countries that kill innocent children? Or how about this - opening our borders so Christians living in fear can take refuge in the UK.

If your local MP receives a different letter from every child in your year group, he will have to respond in some way. You can find a list with your local MP on here.

5. Sponsor a Child

What better way to understand the issues faced by children in another part of the world than by sponsoring one of them as a class? This video provides some information on child sponsorship and how you can go about doing it.

6. Learn more

Here are some more websites with ideas for you and your class to learn more about what is going on in Gaza and Iraq:

Christian Aid
Save The Children
CAFOD
Unicef


So there are some ideas as to how we can engage with Gaza and Iraq. Teachers have a unique role to play in helping to shape and change the world that we live in, and can do this by promoting a curriculum that is responsive and reactive. We don't need to be overtly political to do this...we simply need to be able to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. And there are plenty of things that are wrong in the world today.

Shall we do something about them?

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#9 Age is no barrier

The Commonwealth Games were a resounding success. As the euphoria subsides, there is one memory which stands out for me. It was the image Steve Way, a super-slim English marathon runner who had just achieved his personal best. At 42-years old, he ran the race in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

This is remarkable in itself...someone of that age running such a distance in such a quick time. What's even more remarkable is that he only took up running seven years ago, at which point he was seventeen stone in weight and smoked twenty cigarettes a day.

In October this year, I will be taking part in the York Marathon, at the age of 35. I'm the same age as Steve when he took up running, but I don't smoke and am a healthy thirteen and a half stone.

If I use him as my inspiration, just think what I could achieve?!

In school, we often tell children that they can achieve their dreams. Sometimes as adults we need to be reminded that it's never too late.

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#8 Franz Ferdinand's assassination is a compelling story in itself

        

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

I've always known that Franz Ferdinand's death triggered World War One, but didn't know much more about it.  I'm currently planning some reading resources on the war for my class in September, and have been intrigued by the story.

In 1914, Europe was a cauldron of tension and fear as the dark clouds of war loomed on the horizon. The cauldron reached boiling point when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was assasinated in Bosnia. Historians often focus on the complex set of events that followed, as various countries became involved in a war. The assassination itself, however, was a daring and bold mission that often gets overlooked.
        In spring 1914, Danilo Ilic carefully co-ordinated an assassination that would change the course of history. The Serbian recruited six others to kill Franz Ferdinand because they didn’t want Bosnia to be part of Austria-Hungary. Instead, they wanted Bosnia to be with Serbia in a new country called Yugoslavia. Using intelligence from a number of sources, Ilic learned that Ferdinand would visit Sarajevo in Bosnia at the end of June along with his wife, Duchess Sophie. He smuggled his team into Bosnia and provided them with false identities. As well as his fellow assassins, Ilic received a stash of weapons. These had been hidden in a large crate of sugar which was taken to Sarajevo. In the box were six hand grenades and four Browning automatic pistols and ammunition. There was also money, suicide pills and a map with showing the location of sentry points and a secret escape tunnnel.
        On 28^th June 1914, Ilic positioned the six assassins along the route of a motorcade that Franz Ferdinand was due to travel along later that day. Amongst that team was a Serb called Gavrilo Princip. 

Gavrilo Princip

        Despite the importance of the visit, security was limited in Sarajevo that day. Only sixty police officers were tasked with protecting the Archduke’s motorcade. This made it ideal for Ilic to carry out his plan. The vehicles passed the first assassin, who was armed with a bomb. He failed to carry out his duty. The second assassin had a pistol and a bomb. He too failed to act. At 10:10am, the car carrying Franz Ferdinand and Sophie approached assassin number three: Nedeljko Cabrinovic. This time, the assassin threw the bomb, but it bounced off the canopy of the car and blew up the car behind instead, wounding more than a dozen people.
         The remainder of the motorcade sped away quickly to the Town Hall. The cars travelled so fast that the final three assassins, including Gavrilo Princip,  were not able to carry out the plan. At the Town Hall, Franz Ferdinand was greatly distressed. “Mr Mayor, I came here on a visit, and I get bombs thrown at me. It is outrageous!” That said, Ferdinand and Sophie wished to visit the injured in hospital. This would prove to be a fatal decision.

         Gavrilo Princip knew that the planned assassination had been unsuccessful so took a chance on the Archduke’s next move, waiting beside a nearby delicatessen. Sure enough, the motorcade travelled towards him. The driver of the car stopped right in front of the shop. Princip knew this was his one and only chance. Stepping forward, he fired two shots from a distance of about 1.5 metres. The first hit the Archduke in his jugular vein; the second inflicted an adominal wound on the Duchess. Both remained seated upright, but died on the way to receiving medical treatment. His last words were “Sophie, Sophie! Don’t die! Live for our children!” followed by several utterances of “It is nothing.”
         So what happened to the assassins? A trial was swiftly set up in Sarajevo in October 1914. Danilo Ilic was sentenced to death and executed by hanging, along with one of his conspirators. The other six, including Gavrilo Princip, received prison sentences ranging from 10 to 20 years. Their sentences were so lenient because they were seen as unwilling participants in the killing, and were forced into it by Ilic. Princip died of tuberculosis in prison.

The trial. Princip is seated in the centre of the first row.

What happened next? Well, we know a bit more about that - and we'll all know plenty more in the months to come I'm sure.
For Guided Reading resources on the Great War, check out my store in the coming weeks. There will be some free resources, and more in depth resources which can be purchased.

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#7 The World Cup should be celebrated in the classroom.

It's June 1990. I am emerging from the newsagent with my pack of World Cup '90 stickers. The sun is beating down on this glorious June morning as I walk the short distance to school. I open the pack carefully. Could this be the one? Toto Schillaci. Got. Tomas Skuhravy. Got. Baggio. Got. Matthaus. Got. Tony Dorigo. Got. But there's one left, and it's a foil sticker...a shiny. It's Cameroon! A need! One need, five swaps, another 20 pence spent. Another pack tomorrow...

The Panini World Cup sticker album fills many people of my age with nostalgia, so much so that their target audience is probably men in their mid-thirties as well as children. Not that teachers are too happy about it. One school has banned the stickers after fights broke out in the playground. Not me. We have our class copy of the World Cup sticker album, and the entire class are buying stickers and exchanging swaps. We hope to fill the album...but we still need the Cameroon shiny.

Italia '90 was the World Cup I fell in love with. It was Gazza and his tears that did it for me. He showed that it was OK for a grown man to cry on the sports field. In that moment that Gazza became aware of what he's lost, a nation had a new footballing hero. I often wonder how strange it must seem to others, that a hero was made as a result of tears. We played football after school every day for that entire month.

Mexico '86 is also in my memory. The grainy pictures on TV. David Coleman's commentary. The hand of God. Maradona...best footballer in the world? Or a villain who should never have been allowed on a football pitch?

We've been looking at heroes and villains from the World Cup as part our Guided Reading. Pele...Bobby Moore...Joe Gaetjens (the American who scored against England in 1950). The children enjoyed deciding who were the good and bad guys, and for players like Maradona and Zidane, there was a great deal of debate. We've also been looking at the chances of the major nations in the World Cup with the reading resource. It's helped to get the whole class enthused about the month of football ahead!

To see my World Cup Guided Reading resources, click here.

But it's in maths where I may have created a monster. My fantasy football game is taking the school by storm! Children have to pick five England players with a budget of £40 million, and see how they score in the World Cup. As well as testing mental arithmetic, we will use the scores as part our data handling topic.

So the World Cup can be used successfully and justifiably in the classroom. And as for wet playtimes, there's always penny football. If you want the rules for that one, you'll have to message me...

Check out the resources mentioned above on my store. 

Enjoy!

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#6 It's NOT all about the children

SATS. The very word fills most people in schools with a resigned sense of dread.

As an NQT, I couldn't believe it when I was offered a role as Year 6 teacher, helping children through this crucial stage of their education. It was a great massage for my ego. Now, with one week to go, I would prefer to retreat to the safety of teaching in a year further down the school.

This week, I have seen several children in tears and spoke to a number of concerned parents who are worried about what the prospect of the SATS are doing to their children. A sense of impending doom is prevalent amongst some in the staffroom, and I am spending my Bank Holiday weekend feeling tired and run down.

It's no surprise. During the week, the children have been either revising excessively or taking tests. Often the tests don't reveal what the teacher wants or needs them to, and so the stress levels rise. The children, the vast majority of whom wish to please their teacher, feed off this stress. Consequently, the classroom can become a very emotional place. It takes a special teacher to keep a classroom calm at this time of the year!

I've been asking myself the question, "What is all this for?"

Is it for the children? Well, yes, to an extent. It may be preparing them for testing in High School. It may be furthering their knowledge. It may ensure that they are being taught what they should have been. But once a child leaves primary school and enters High School, what has all of this taught them? They have been in school lessons for the last six years. They know the curriculum. The crucial difference is that some children can retain information. They will thrive. Those that can't will crumble.

Is it for the teachers? Yes, much more so. Future contracts can depend on good results. Headteachers can hold back pay if they deem results not good enough.

Is it for the schools? Absolutely. If children aren't gaining Level 4s, this can be seen by everyone in the school league tables. Since these are usually the first thing that's looked at to judge the effectiveness of a school, the SATS results have got to be good.

The government has created a system that perversely puts children last of all. They are simply pawns in a political game where Britain aspires to prove it's greatness against the more rigid and seemingly successful school systems of Singapore, Finland et al.

Some schools are taking this so seriously that their Year 6's are going in this weekend, on a Bank Holiday, for extra revision.

When I was at school, I can't remember being tested heavily. I didn't know my levels. I knew I was on the brighter side of my class, but there was no sense of competition, no pressure like there is today to succeed. People argue that children need to experience this pressure as that is what life is like in the real world, but surely not at 11-years old?

Sometimes I wish our school system would allow children to be children. There must be an alternative to this rigorous testing.

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Schools aren't as safe as we'd like to hope

#5 Schools aren't as safe as we'd like to hope

At this time yesterday morning, she would have been preparing for a new week in school. No doubt she would have been going over her lessons for the day. Reminding herself to photocopy the homework. Have a word with the Year 6 child about the work he'd struggled with. In the back of her mind she may have been preparing for half term, perhaps a holiday to look forward to. Maybe she was thinking ahead to retirement, surely not too far away, and receiving her well-earned pension whilst spending her time with those that she loved.

 Nothing could have prepared her for what lay ahead. 

Anne Maguire's tragic death has horrified and spread fear among teachers everywhere. Whilst now is the time to pray for her family and those that witnessed this terrible incident in Leeds, you can guarantee that in the medium term, there will be national calls to tighten security in schools; and that unions will use this event to demonstrate the pressure that teachers face in the classroom.

As a primary school teacher, I do feel safe. I feel in control. I feel strong. In a secondary school, the children are a lot bigger, a lot stronger. If I taught in a secondary school, this morning I would feel a little less safe. It's not the knives that I'd be worrying about...it's everything else that children bring to school.

Put it like this. Here is a system that throws together several hundred children each day. Each one has witnessed different things around the breakfast table, or perhaps the night before. Arguments. Laughter. Domestic abuse. Love. Graphic language. Nurture. Abuse. A good proportion will have returned from school the previous day and spent the time in between in front of a screen, watching TV that is unsuitable for them or playing ridiculously lifelike games that parents bought to keep them quiet. They have not been socialising with their peers. They have been shooting, killing, even performing acts of a sexual nature on a computer. They have been accessing hardcore porn which is so prevalent on the Internet. Their worldview is shaped by such things. Their relationships are shaped by such things. And so often, they don't have a clue about the consequences of their actions in the real world.

And so, to lessons. Crammed in a hot classroom, sitting closely to someone you don't like. The pressure of exams and tests. Black children, white children, Christians, Muslims, boys, girls. Teachers. Children. Friends. Enemies. Us. Them.

Snap.

This morning, two lives have been ruined. A 15-year old boy who is currently in police custody and a 61-year old teacher who paid the ultimate price in a career where there should never have been a price to pay.

Schools aren't safe places. What can we change? More security? Police on site? CCTV in every classroom? Stab vests for teachers?

No. It's too much. All we can do is teach good values, to parents and children. Teach about consequences. Teach against violence. It may not be enough, but I'm a teacher, not a security guard.

RIP Anne Maguire.

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Never save cutting and sticking until the end of term

#4 Never save cutting and sticking until the end of term

With a hectic school schedule, and short lesson times, the temptation is to wait until the end of term for the children to glue everything into their books.

Don't do it. Just don't. It will be chaos. Their books will look like a result of the Big Bang. And the cleaners will hate you.

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The best books have a happy ending.

#3 The best books have a happy ending

If you read just one book to your Year 6 class, make it this one.

'Wonder' by RJ Palacios is an emotional rollercoaster. It follows the story of a  child with Treacher Collins Syndrome. Children who have this condition have facial deformities.

August, the central character, just wants to lead a normal life, but he can't because of the way others view him.

Without giving too much away, this is a story about  a family's love, a boy's courage, bullying, friendship and being different. It's a story that touches on human emotions in incredible ways. 

Using the slogan, 'You can't blend in when you're born to stand out', this book celebrates our differences but makes us feel deeply uncomfortable about the times when we have judged others because of the way they look.

We laughed. Some of us cried. I choked up on several occasions as I read out loud. And all the while, I couldn't see how things could turn out well for this kid. 

Thankfully, I was wrong.

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Don't judge a person by their face.

Read it!

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Meat is Murder

#2 Meat is Murder

Morrissey is a famous vegan. As a big fan of his,
I've still found some of his rants quite amusing. Until now.

A circle time discussion of class pets was meant as a light-hearted way of getting to know the kids better. We had several dogs, cats and rabbits. We had a hamster and some budgies and a number of goldfish. And Chloe had a pig.

"A pig? That's a bit different. Where does it live?"

"In the garden," she replied.

"Why do you have a pig, when everyone else has dogs and cats?"

"So we can eat it," she replied as if this was a stupid question.

The class looked horrified. I looked horrified. In my shock, I moved swiftly on to teaching subordinate clauses, trying desperately to get the image out of my head of Chloe with a bolt-gun to the head of an unsuspecting Percy Pig.

My own attitude to eating meat is anything goes, as long as I don't see it alive beforehand. My visit to Korea, for example, still haunts me. At a fish market, my friend chose a fish for our tea. It was swimming in a tank with others. The fish seller, grabbed it from the tank, killed it with a fatal blow and then sliced it before our eyes. There was no need to cook it...it was still warm. Then there was the time I went sea fishing off Bridlington. I caught about a dozen mackerel. Back home, they remained in the freezer for months. I couldn't bring myself to eat something that had been happily going about it's life in the North Sea before I put an abrupt end to it.

What a waste.

Recently, I've read a book that has changed my attitude. 'Eating Animals' by Jonathan Safran Foer opened my eyes to the appalling conditions that animals on factory farms contend with. It gave evidence on the pain and stress they endure, which were beyond what even a depraved imagination could comprehend. It also gave some alarming statistics about the dangers posed by contaminated meat entering the human food chain, something which occurs every second of every minute of every hour of every day.

"We know, at least, that this decision will help prevent deforestation, curb global warming, reduce pollution, save oil reserves, lessen the burden on rural America, decrease human rights abuses, improve public health, and help eliminate the most systemic animal abuse in world history."

Mostly, this book made me ask questions. Can I justify eating a creature whose only purpose in a painful and inhumane existence was to feed me for just one meal? 

Whilst it wouldn't turn me to vegetarianism, this book has made me question where my meat is coming from. I want to know that my meat has enjoyed life before its slaughter. I want to know that it was slaughtered as humanely as is possible. I want to know exactly what vitamins and nutrients it was fed in its diet.

There will be a price to pay. Organic meat is more expensive (and let's face it, there has to be a reason why meat is cheap compared to in the past), but perhaps we eat too much meat anyway?

So this book has changed the way I think. It's the reason why I regret not doing anything with the mackerel I caught. It's the reason why I will happily eat the carcass of lamb that a nearby farmer gave to us recently. Finally, it has made me see that Chloe was right after all.

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BEST CLASSROOM APRIL FOOLS PRANK EVER

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April Fool

#1 Some word problems are impossible.

April Fool's Day. Can teachers join in? Is it permissible to fib to your class for one morning, for the sake of entertainment? Well, we do it for Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy, so on that basis, I decided to set my top set maths class an impossible question:

My maths set love a challenge. I convinced them with some 'Higher Order Thinking Skills', it could be done. Every one of them started writing calculations on whiteboards. Various strategies and methods were used. One table were convinced that it was to do with the area and perimeter of a compound shape. Only one child, a Chinese boy with a keen eye for maths and an even keener eye for logical thinking, didn't attempt it.

After fifteen minutes of hard work, my bright maths set explained their answers in great detail. Several of them had got the same answer of 28. A few others chose 3. A handful had gone into algebra. When I revealed the true answer, I was greeted by blank and confused faces. Only then did it twig with one of them. The others laughed. I laughed. The Chinese boy continued to look confused. It took me another fifteen minutes to explain the concept of April Fool's Day to him.

Despite my amusement, I felt slightly bad that I had exploited the good nature of my maths set. It did make me think though, that teachers get away with telling a fair few lies in the nature of their profession.

Here's one example: My eldest daughter, 5 years old, came home from school last week and said, "Daddy, Mrs A can see through walls."

My ears pricked up. "Really?"

"Yes," she replied. "She can see into the cloakroom and outside."

"Does she see good things as well as bad things?" 

"Yes. But mostly bad things."

Lesson of the day: Tell the truth in all circumstances. But remember that a little bit of creative embellishment can make for a happier - and more entertaining - classroom environment.

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