Mankind owes the child the best that it has to give (The Geneva Declaration 1924)

 

 

Are you a collector? A diary writer? A journal keeper? We do this to record and capture happy and challenging times. I keep a journal of quotes or lyrics that mean or have meant something to me. I enjoy poetry and symbolism and the beauty of our language.

 

Do you ever feel that life is passing you by? That you are drifting? That the best has been and gone?

 

Recently I have been in the fortunate position of having time to reflect, to fill up my cup and to add positive entries to my journal. I have enjoyed new experiences and met with friends old and new. ‘Lucky you’ you are probably thinking! Occasionally life offers these moments of rest and reflection.

 

 

Today our world is full of sadness, heartbreak, horrendous wars and anxiety about both the present and the future. Nothing furnishes reflection more than these situations. Quite recently I saw Abba Voyage. As a teenager of the ‘70s this was the most wonderful experience. Is it really possible that I was face-to-face with Abba? It was truly spectacular. The happiness observed in that arena was sensational and how it put into perspective the global conversation surrounding the evolving Artificial Intelligence. What is it about the media that insists on focusing on the negative in every situation, contributing to anxiety and concern?

 

Another uplifting experience was the theatre production of Calendar Girls. What is it about famous ladies having the bravery to bare all (excuse the pun) on stage that is inspiring? A sad story with a strong message. A focus on the sunflower which tracks the sun and sheds its seeds to create beauty. Oh, to be like that sunflower as we move through life.

 

What do our children deduce from our world as it is presented to them? It is their world, their future, their time.  Is mankind giving the best it has to give? Are we drifting through life or are we focused on giving the best? From an early age we begin to instil into our children the positive mindset required to traverse this common but challenging journey through life. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and we can’t go over it, can’t go under it, oh no!  we’ve got to go through it. Part of our role as teachers is to provide this positive outlook, this resilience. We are the weather in our classroom and model positivity even when it is tough.

 

In this month of Children in Need, an entry for my journal came from Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay. In an interview during which he could barely stand and the pain was etched on his face following a four-day fundraising walk from Leicester to Bolton (a distance equivalent to a marathon a day) the interviewer asked him what had kept him motivated at his bleakest times. His response – “I had to keep my eye on the why”. Is there anything more important for us as educators than to keep our eye on the ‘why’ for our children?

 

We owe our children the best the world has to offer them. We all have our unique experiences, talents and love to develop in our children the ability to cope with and benefit from all that life has to offer them. The sunflower follows the light; be the sun for the sunflowers and the weather in your classroom. Keep your eye on the ‘why’.

 

What would you keep in your journal?

 

                                                                              

 

 

 

Sandra Hearson 

Assessment Only Lead Tutor