Have you ever tried something like this in a classroom?

I’d love to hear if you have - I’m intrigued…

"Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization." — Mahatma Gandhi

Growth

Teachers everywhere want one thing: to make a difference.

We want to help the brilliant fly, the marginalised find a sense of belonging, the angry find peace, the unacademic find a path and the rest do their best.

Like so many, I find a natural pull to support those who, in a school environment, need it most.

And I’m really interested to see what you think of my latest idea.

I refer to a neurodivergent student in our class.

Last week was their strongest week in education, I’d argue. Terrific from start to finish. Often unengaged and even reluctant they completed everything asked of them last week and then some.

And all with a smile and a sense of achievement.

Now, this week hasn’t been perfect and part of that is the fact that said student wasn’t granted a prize for an outstanding week.

Here, perhaps, we see an issue with extrinsic motivation; while others earned ‘pupil of the week’ and ‘headteacher award’ and the like, she - despite an honourable mention - went home empty handed.

Only quality work and a sense of achievement to show for it. Paltry payment, apparently.

But that’s for another time. I want to focus on the perfect week we had.

I think there’s another reason they worked so well.

• When writing, we have a class playlist consisting of the children’s choices playing in the background.

• Our neurodivergent friend has a strong attitude to music tastes and, while occasionally tolerant of other genres, has very solid favourites of their own.

• So, how to cater to them all?

Then something struck me.

We have a few pairs of headphones that connect to headphones and can play what’s being played on a iPad.

I realise this is a blessing, to have access to such technology.

This allowed me to play something different of this individual’s choice through the headphones, allowing them to block out the rest.

And, to my admiration, get on with their work.

Incredibly so.

How we balance this perk is difficult. We have other children to teach and it simply isn’t always feasible to cater to this.

But I recognise that this isn’t simply a spoilt child getting what they want.

It’s a highly noise-sensitive person locked in a room surrounded by the noise of others and music they find uncomfortable to listen to.

If you don’t work with neurodivergent children, please understand this - or accept it, at least.

The moment they’re able to zone out and instead offered a sensorily comforting experience, their whole mood transformed.

Again, it needs balancing finely - they can’t expect to simply get this when they want and can’t react in certain ways when it’s not given.

But this is a need being supported. A difference being accounted for. Diversity being encouraged.

And higher-quality work than we’ve ever seen was the result.

Can we do this more. Have you tried it before? Or anything like?

I would love to hear about your experience of delivering music to the ears of those who benefit from it.

Giggles

VotesForSchools is a programme we use that exposes the children to powerful discussions and real world questions. It’s a wonderful way to teach them about the real world. I recommend it.

This week, the question was about online safety and whether adults have the tools to teach children what they need to know.

To test this, we did a little knowledge test.

Children or adult - who knows more about online technology?

The result?

Adult - 2

Children - 3

In a thrilling turn of events, I was shown to the door and humbled entirely, despite my best efforts.

And I’ve never seen the children more excited to learn.

Honestly, watching them desperate to beat me was so much fun.

We all had know-it-all teachers who we could never connect with because they could never admit we were right, just to save their own pride. A condemnable attitude to teaching if ever there was one.

I like to lose to this lot. They wear it well, they feel good about themselves and they have fun.

I welcome you to be a loser too.

Gratitude

I have been in some really unhappy places.

And the trick to life is to know when you’ve got it good. A situation some take for granted but one that you know is a blessed place to be.

I had a little moment today to think back on how much the children seem to be enjoying school lately.

All of them all the time? No.

We have a couple of tears from home, and some from school.

We have obstacles to making learning enjoyable.

We have obstacles to making learning easy.

But the general culture seems a happy one.

And, at the end of a madcap day, I stuck my own headphones on, played my one most calming song and sat back in my chair, closed my eyes and breathed for a couple of minutes.

All the while thinking of how fortunate we are to work with the little people we do.

Especially this wonderful lot.

All year, I’ve been looking ahead to the final day of the year and how much it’s going to hurt to say goodbye to them once and for all.

So I’m soaking up every opportunity to relish the now.

Knowing where I’ve come from, how miserable and depressed I’ve been at times in the past, makes it all the sweeter.

What do you love about your current circumstance? Can you find time to sit back and take a moment to enjoy it? As fully as possible?

I’d love to hear it so please do comment below. I want this to be a community space, not just my mad ramblings.

I hope you are in such a place.