It’s not every Sunday that I have the opportunity to dress up as Wonder Woman- but I wish it was!
What a fabulous first experience of the conference and welcome into the inspirational NeuroHeart family. Thank you everyone. You added a spring to my step and joy in my heart. It was such a fitting way to close the past 12 months and lead into the next.
Yes, the past year has been full of unique experiences, as I am sure it has been for many of you too.
Lockdown in the UK prevented me from working with children in their schools and travelling abroad. I felt cut off when I knew I could be of the greatest service.
So, it was time to think out of the box and get creative! I explored other ways I could reach children- and had a wonderful time in the process! I wrote a little book to help them see Covid19 in a child friendly way, created lots of resources and became very active online. I even regularly dressed up as a potato to spread positivity! Never a dull moment!
As a result, I was awarded the ‘International Education Hero of the Year’.
Incredible.
It was at this point that Rachel asked me to speak at the Conference. I was over the moon! When I was asked the topic of my talk, I stalled for a while. I wanted it to be something new and fresh, motivating, uplifting- something I would have fun both creating and sharing.
I reflected back over the past year looking for a positive. And there it was clear as can be- the award. Yes it was incredible to receive it, but the power was in the language. I was a ‘Hero’. Wow, that made me feel fabulous and made me think- what if children were empowered to feel like heroes in the classroom?
So ‘The Superhero Approach to Learning’ was born!
It was such fun to create. Each letter cried out to me- what about me? So, I gave them each their own limelight! –
- S elf Esteem
- U nique
- P owerful
- E ngrossed
- R elaxed
- H umour
- E nergy
- R ewards
O ptimism
It was fabulous to reflect back over the past 30 years and narrow down tools and techniques that I have found have the greatest impact with children all over the world.
Together we explored how to help a child develop their self-worth and realise how unique they are. The skills to develop their sense of confidence and power and support them in being able to focus and concentrate. We explored how we could help children feel calm and how to support them being energised and motivated. We enjoyed the power of humour and importance of rewards in the classroom and keeping ourselves and students feeling positive.
Each area individually so important, but when they are put together as a programme, wow oh wow, it takes on its own special power- just like a Superhero!
I hope ‘The Superhero Approach to Learning’ helped to spark your imagination, provided you with some tools and techniques that you can use in your classroom and stimulated your unique creativity.
Let’s continue to think outside the box and help empower the young Superhero’s of today and tomorrow in our classrooms.
I’ll leave you with one of my little poems.
Boxed In
The Box Stands Firm.
Solid, Strong in its
Box-Ness.
Rock Hard Walls.
A Cardboard Prison.
open the top.
nothingness.
full of light
and air
and space
and
poss
– i
– bil
– i
– ties.
Fellow Superheroes,
No walls can contain You.