After years of teaching, I am pretty experienced when it comes to writing reports and talking to parents. But this year was different: I was attending parents’ evening as a mum, and I wasn’t looking forward to hearing what my son’s teacher had to say.
My son struggled this year. He tries hard and he has made progress, but his interests and passions lie beyond the classroom. Talking to his class teacher and looking at his grades, it was clear that his test scores and predictions do not reflect who he is, or the talents that he has.
It made me wonder about the reports I have sent home to families over the years. It’s impossible for me to fully record all the things a child has learned in my class – or to anticipate what will spark their interest the following day. I could never track how they have developed socially or gained confidence among their peers, for example.When the time comes to write reports, I am only allowed to comment on their academic work – and even this must be done through the prism of targets. I cannot discuss the things that make them unique. So here are the things I wish I could have said to my pupils, and to their parents:
To the quiet boy…
You were sometimes lost in a sea of pupils, but you were doing well. You may not have been a free reader in year 2, you may have struggled with measurements in maths, but that’s OK. You were learning and that’s what matters. I also happen to know that you understand the inner workings of a steam engine and can explain the chemistry and physics of an internal combustion engine better than some A-level students. I’m sorry I couldn’t write about that.
To the kind girl…
You were always so nice to the other children in our class, and this is an incredible skill. Your compassion and empathy will be sought after in the big wide world, and you should be so proud of these traits.
To the inquisitive children…
You were always talking and asking questions and, yes, you drove me crazy at times, but please don’t ever stop. Your questions will always be valuable, they will help people to move forward, make changes and learn new things.
To the children who struggled to behave and conform…
I know you found it hard. I know that you were dealing with issues outside of school that are like nothing I have ever experienced. I appreciate that learning about habitats in science probably felt completely irrelevant to you at that time. But I hope that one day you will revisit our learning and remember some of the things we did together. I hope that you will smile and remember being in a place where you felt safe, secure and happy.
To all of my students…
School won’t teach you everything you need to know to become the people you will be. You will learn those things from the people you meet, the things you do, the places you go and the experiences you have. Choose wisely, dream big, aim high, have confidence and you will achieve.
I love teaching, regardless of the restraints placed upon me by management, the government or the latest trends in education. I will always view children as unique beings who have interests and ideas all of their own.
My grandfather told me that there will always be children in my class who understand things better than me. I love the idea that I am learning too, that the children are teaching me. There are some things that are beyond the limitations of report writing, and those are the things that make our children special.
And so I give my pupils my time, thoughts and energy. I always give them 100% – not because I want the best Sats scores, or because I want to have the best class in the school, but because that’s what they deserve.
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