Let me start with the usual "Sorry I haven't posted a blog for ages...", but I do have a genuine reason! I simply have not stopped. The Keeping Early Years Unique FB page goes from strength to strength, we have more national events planned for the year and I am still writing books. But aside from this perhaps my biggest adventure has been my move to Year One. As I cleared out my reception class cupboard to move next door, I packed my EYFS principles and the pedagogy into a box for the move to Year One...because I know they don't just need to exist in our Reception and Nursery classrooms!
In an ideal world, I would tell you I've opened the box, unpacked them and its been a breeze. In some ways it has. We have very happy settled children who love school, we have families who are thrilled with how their children are thriving, a happy team of staff and a very supportive leadership team who are putting their faith in us. But..to be honest it is pretty exhausting. I am swimming against the tide. Giving children freedom, independence, the chance to play (and yes I do say play...not get busy, learning time, doing jobs or any masks that attempt to cover this now expletive word) and spend time learning inside and out when, how and where they choose, isn't exactly in keeping with the largely irrelevant, dry national curriculum enforced up on me. Some days are fantastic and I come away knowing some magic has happened, memories have been made...but other days as I drive home I contemplate how much easier my life would be if I would just play ball, if I would just do as Mr Gibb et al want me to, pour knowledge into the children's heads, tell them what to think...or even apply for the store manager job at Aldi that I walk past at every shopping trip. But those of you who know me well will know that this thought only lasts a fraction of a second before I realise that I could not ever do this...these children just like the hundreds I have taught before, deserve the best and I will give them that no matter how hard it is for me. They will always see Mrs Bennett, laughing, playing, listening, learning, discovering with them..they will never see the frustrated, tired, stressed person this Government is making me into.
So.. over the past 24 hours it is fair to say I have found myself on an emotional rollercoaster going from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again.
On Thursday evening I shared a real story of how I had observed some magic happening in my classroom, through following a child's interests. This child and I together had created a memory that neither of us will ever forget. The response on KEYU was phenomenal. People were inspired, people felt emotional, people thanked me for giving children these basic experiences, some even shed a tear. I went to bed feeling like I was a part of something amazing...
But then I awoke to read Mr Gibbs speech catchily entitled "The Evidence in Favour of Teacher Led Instruction". This report referred to the type of practice that we are all so passionate about, the type of practice that we know makes the difference, the type of practice that we know secures good mental health as "fashionable, experimental theory". This phrase alone shows the utter disregard Mr Gibb holds for our children and their development. Those of us who have worked with children and studied hard will know that our practice is based in years and years of work led by our founding Early Years mothers and fathers...Froebel, Isaacs, McMillian, Montessori et al not to mention their contemporaries: Bruce, Laevers, Moylett, Fisher et al. So to call child centred learning "fashionable and experimental" is either extremely ignorant, highly offensive or most likely both.
So it was fair to say that I went off to train in London yesterday feeling rather frustrated and wondering exactly where our mission is to go next. As I ended my training session yesterday I thought I would share our petition to extend EYFS principles to age 7 with the teachers I was working with. It was at this moment that I almost shed a tear. A petition that has taken 11 months to reach 7.5k supporters had almost doubled to 13k in under 7 days. I was visibly taken aback, and thought perhaps I had clicked on someone else's petition by mistake. And then I realised. It hit me like a trike in the leg when I'm in the garden: I most definitely am not alone. I am standing shoulder to shoulder with families, educators, leaders, researchers, academics, psychologists, in fact I am standing with experts...real experts who work with children, or who pick up the pieces when they come home stressed and frustrated. We will not tolerate this assault on our children's well being any more. They deserve better and we will fight with every bit of us to give it to them.
There are many ways you can get involved! So please do. There is so much unrest out there, and our education system is really under attack, and we need to take action.
Sign and share our petition
Support these fantastic groups/campaigns:
Save Childhood Movement
Let Our Kids Be Kids (Parents support teachers)
More than a score (Parents, teachers, organisations together)
Keeping Early Years Unique
Sign this petition to save our nursery schools
Find out how the funding cuts will affect your children's schools here
If you are teach in Reception, or have experience of teaching in reception, please sign up and get involved in Early Excellence's Hundred review. Make your voice heard, lets tell everyone what good Reception practice is all about. Get involved here!
Please get involved..it is only by standing together against those who look to reduce our children to scores with no regard for their holistic development and mental health, that we can make a difference. Enough is enough. Our children deserve better than this archaic system they find themselves in. The Government would have you believe it is a world class model. It is not. It is prehistoric. And if we continue down this path the only tables we will be topping in the global community will be those for poorest child mental health and number of teachers leaving a profession through ill health.
Please join me.
Many thanks for all you do, to keep the fires burning. Your support makes me stronger and gives me the will to keep going. If you think you can help the cause in anyway get in touch...
We will speak soon I promise..and I won't leave it nearly so long!
Warmest wishes as always
Elaine
