Here we go!

Hi all,

For the last year, I have become increasingly aware of the pressure that children are under to be successful. I have been a teacher for over 20 years now (!) and I don't think it has ever been so bad. At staff meetings, during conversations with colleagues, friends and other mums, we often talk about the emotion and mental health concerns we have and how those concerns are manifesting themselves in our children's behaviour.

So, I've decided to set myself a project; I am going to read all the great texts on these issues I can, the aim is to go for one a month and blog about them. I am hoping that through this, I might be able to find a way, for not only the children I teach, but also my own three beautiful babes, to help them realise their potential and feel the joy of success but in an emotionally-health way.

There seems no better day to start this project but on #EmpathyDay;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw

a day with is challenging parents, teachers and all of us to use empathy rather than sympathy in our daily

interactions. This movement was founded by Miranda McKeaney and EmpathyLab and I had the great privilege of attending one of their training days in February this year.

Their message is simple but also one of those ideas which you wish you had thought of and wonder why we haven't been doing this for years! Through reading and discussing characters in literature we can enable children to talk about feelings and emotions in a safe environment and allow them to talk through things which maybe a concern now of in the future. #readingforempathy

There is so much happening today across the country and twitter is going bonkers with tweets, I have been utterly inspired by the ideas and work of so many amazing teachers today.