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Hi, my name is Jordan. I am a special education teacher from the UK. I share my passion for

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everything communication, sensory regulation and fun lesson ideas for my classroom of disabled

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pupils aged 4 to 11. Each week I am joined by experts in the field answering your questions

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and sharing our knowledge and experience working alongside our beautiful young people. Let's get started.

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Hello everybody, I'm going to be joined with the amazing Mrs. Mrs. Price's classroom on Instagram.

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I've followed her for a while now and I absolutely adore everything she shares and we're going to be

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talking all about our classrooms and our visual use and AC. How are you doing? It is so good to

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chat with you. I've just been saying that I've been loving your account ever since I started

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this which was Christmas. Likewise. Absolutely loving your account. I feel like we're pretty

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similar in how we lead our classrooms. Whenever you have an idea I'm like oh I wish I thought of

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that first. You're so good. I've had so many ideas from you. I've absolutely loved your page and you

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know I said to my work friends today I guess who I'm doing a live with I'm doing a live with someone

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you're worldwide famous and you're getting yourself out of your comfort zone aren't you?

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It's your first live so that's so exciting. My first ever live. Welcome. Can you fire away?

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Excellent. Well the first one new to the role of SEN in an afternoon provision how should I plan?

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Okay so I'm assuming that it's mainstream it's come kind of nurture hub in the afternoon.

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Very possibly. And they've been asked to lead it and they've got no idea what to do.

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And I think the word that strikes out for me is afternoon so it's like okay they've had a full day

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it's the afternoon that's going to be important for them to plan wisely for the afternoon because

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as we know for a lot of our students once they've had lunch that's it we're done. Yeah totally.

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Yeah exactly especially by the end of the week. So I'm assuming in the morning they'll be doing

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English and maths won't they? That's quite difficult. I assume so yeah that's all I've got. New to the

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role of SEN in an afternoon provision how should I plan? Yeah so I'd assume I would want well it's

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an SEN provision as well so they would have EHCP so maybe I would look at their I would focus it

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around their IEPs. Maybe look at some targets that are difficult to get in the classroom that are

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difficult to get alongside other children that might be to do with taking turns it might be to

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be with independence it might be to do with communication whatever it is maybe focus the

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learning on those kind of things to kind of get those because that's the legal requirement really

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isn't it when you're an SEN provision we we don't we can do whatever we want really but we have to

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be meeting those particular EHCP statements and points don't we? So I suppose that's quite a good

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start because otherwise it's so open that you really could do anything it's easy to have that

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isn't it? Absolutely and in terms of the environment I mean I just I've asked my

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thought I love setting up an environment I love the visual but obviously that's going to be really

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important as well making sure the environment's set up for them clearly defined areas a space for

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a bit of a chill out area you know do they need their own space for the space for group work

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I mean there's so much that you can do in there but yeah definitely as you say keep go for those

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some targets IEP targets and make sure the afternoon is just a calm yeah less demand on

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them and maybe more child led maybe so you've got the structure I call it a flexible structure

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so yes you've got the structure of certain areas you've got the schedules up they know what they're

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they know what they're doing it's predictable but it's flexible in the way of if they need a sensory

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break they just have it if they need a snack they just have it if they need the toilet they just go

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you know all of those kind of things build that trust and relationship with them first completely

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definitely so no good luck to whoever that is that would refuel them as well wouldn't it it would refuel

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them for the next day till they go into the classroom and start again and it might help them

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last a little bit longer in in the class as well maybe yeah a bit of I mean I like the word nurture

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hub because I feel like it feels like a hug in a word doesn't it um nurture hub and if if all of us

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are seeing our classrooms as nurture hubs yeah I just think that's really lovely we're just kind

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of holding our children up and and um and giving them everything they need in order to feel safe

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enough to learn and and make progress absolutely should we go for another one yes right what do

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you find works best as a strategy slash support for engaging students with their own agenda

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okay I think that is well my first thought was with their own you go with their own agenda if

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that's what they're keen on and yeah what's their interest what's their drive and you start with

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that don't you and you build that relationship with them first and then start incorporating the

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learning within their own agenda yeah exactly exactly it's the same with us right if we're

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trying to make friends or trying to build connections with people you don't start talking

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about yourself and your interests you find out about theirs and it's no different than that you

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become their partner don't you um I've got a happiness audit I don't know if you've um seen

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it but um it basically uh works out what helps the child feel happy um and there's things like

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what sensory environment makes them happy what tastes make them happy what smells make them happy

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what people make them happy and it goes it really goes through all of the things and we're basically

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auditing what is happiness for this child what does it look like and I guess I would start there

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and and think okay what does heaven look like for this child and one of my tears is laughing today

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I said oh he's had such a good day and he went well of course he has this is heaven to him

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well what am I doing if it's not right yeah Andy dinosaurs on he had his curry he was rocking on

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his chair he was full of three snacks and had all the crisps whatever he'd had he'd just done his

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sensory regulation he was so holding his dinosaur he was so happy and I think well yeah this is a

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happy child he's gonna learn he's gonna communicate I'm doing my job if this is heaven for them

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absolutely so I know that's a big ask but if we could try and create their ideal scenario

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their ideal resources learning in their ideal way like for some children it looks quite quiet and

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quite um isolated and and quite um no demands whereas other children it looks very involved

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very active outside messy different for every child isn't it so there's no one answer for that

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it's just yeah getting to know them I was gonna say getting to know their drive and going with it

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and then starting cooperating those little bits of learning in there at their own pace at their own

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level isn't it and that works for any child at any level at any stage doesn't it absolutely and

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it's been genuinely interested in what they're interested as well it's not just listening it's

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not just um responding you know call and response when they're chatting to you it's genuinely like

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finding your joy in what they like absolutely and they're not really random like like flicking bits

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of lanyard for example I've got a child that flicks flicks lanyard and then it's yeah it feels

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really good and it's good to feel joy in that rather than just sitting by them and accepting

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them of course that's that's step one how great if we could just join them in the joy and and

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and yeah and you could do that with any child really definitely no perfect have we got quite

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a few things we have so many coming in I'm struggling to encourage a child to leave the

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classroom to participate in sensory activities because he only wants to play with his toy this

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is mainstream okay okay um I would rather than prompting them to go outside I would just

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be really fun doing the sensory activity kind of within eye and ear shot and if I'm fun enough and

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if I'm if I've chosen the sensory activity well enough to meet their needs and interests

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they will just join it yeah not making much don't put too much of a pressure on on their joining

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yeah because they'll sense it they can up straight away and often um not just in mainstream in all

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schools often they the older the children are they've learned that adults bring demand adults

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are bring stress adults bring anxiety and they almost lose the trust of even though it looks

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really fun they're not going to trust that you're not going to show them to do something tell them

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to do something that they can't do or or whatever whatever it's almost learn which is not to say but

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I see that all the time in my classroom as well if I'm just having fun doing stuff around them

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often they do want to join and if they don't that's okay I just have I just need to then adapt

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what I'm doing um but yeah if the sensory activities you're doing meets their interests

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and their needs I don't know why they wouldn't and especially if they feel safe in the environment

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because maybe uh leaving the classroom is it's actually too much actually maybe that's their

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safety zone and maybe you need to start doing this activity there before you start transitioning

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and doing a new activity that sounds like quite unstable and it's working out what is the actual

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what worry and anxiety this this this student has to be able to leave the room what is it then work

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on that isn't it and then there's so many ways to help support and I guess if it has to be outside

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of the classroom we're getting onto transitions that if it has to be outside of the classroom

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I've been known before to bring one of our iPads outside I was just about to say record the way

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do a little vlog basically of what to expect when they get there of the journey what to expect when

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they get there and then they can watch it back now if all they do that first time is watch that video

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fine often they watch it and they go no and make sure they have if it's spinning that that's the

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key have a few spinning things there at the transfer when they watch the video they go oh my

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they got this they got spinning things they got spinning things exactly and they can even bring

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his twiddle toy with him as a bit of a transitional object there's no reason why he couldn't bring his

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twiddle toy with him yeah completely to do this activity it might feel better and it might go be

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put down once he sees it but maybe that's a bit of a comfort thing I can imagine I mean obviously

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isn't it exactly and if it if he only wants to play this twiddle toy I've known children like

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that before it's less of a fidget and it's more of a um de-sensitize like it's like none of this

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exists I'm in my own world this is a bit scary I just need me time yeah so taking that away

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and transitioning and a new activity just might be a little bit too much yeah I'm imagining yeah

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it sounds like a lot um oh and she's also said he becomes very distressed and this is very distracting

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for the other children I can imagine he does find it um distressing it's quite even though

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it seems quite simple for us to just put down something go somewhere and do something really

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fun there's a lot of steps there there's a lot of things I was gonna say yeah you need to take that

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anxiety away first isn't it focus on the game because with I'm assuming you're doing this to

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regulate him but actually in turn we're putting so many demands and asks of him in order to become

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regulated he's gonna have the opposite affair so really yes I say do sensory breaks yes I say go

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outside but actually it's cool we just want regulated children and if and if in if he needs

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to do it inside to be regulated or if he needs to bring his little with him to be regulated

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I'd say that he's like he's always participated in the past which makes me think obviously

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something's happened on the transition then that made sound great a lot of anxiety so

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and he needs to try and sort of work out what it is that's traumatized him to be able to want to

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stay in the classroom and use that even more as a security thing and it might be that it's

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September it's a new class he used to transition out of his old class now this is a new class and

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he's got to build up to it again we might think oh you did that last year why can't you do it this

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year and it's and it's you know and it's changed and then I say and it's mainstream isn't it we

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know mainstream is a very busy noisy overload environment so it's extremely difficult to want

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to transition in that must be extremely hard yeah yeah definitely there's a lot of asks okay yeah

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he's in the same class of the same teacher I was gonna say something's happened in transition then

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I think something's happened within that transition you know I think they need to work on what has

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happened and most likely possibly something's happened in a corridor that's completely spooked

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the student and it's better to stay in my safe place with my safe twiddle spinning and I think

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my safe twiddle spinning and it's just working on that I think yeah maybe yeah either bring

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comforts with you or start the activities where he's at and build up to transition I'd say

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either or if that's his safe space have you got a question well I had one person to ask I have

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children working at around nine months to two years and they find role play doesn't work yeah

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now my first thought was if they're working at that sort of ability then role play is too is too

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much too fast and too you know cognitively wouldn't be able to understand role play so it's

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breaking that down completely isn't it yeah exactly I mean that's even that's without a

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diagnosis of autism as well isn't it um it's it's rather than putting an adult idea of what play

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looks like on the child it's actually flipping it and thinking about what play looks like for them

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and then joining them in that and us becoming the learner and then becoming the expert um in play

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sometimes it looks like tidying up sometimes it looks like tipping out sometimes it looks like

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connecting things sometimes it looks like spinning things sometimes it looks like jumping and climbing

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that might be their play and that and that's perfectly great and and where they're at and

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then and then we can join them in that typically role play happens around well three and a half four

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and that's if you've got a um analytical non-neurodivergent brain right um I know some

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autistic adults that have done their gcses that have never been interested in role play not because

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they can't they're just not interested in it it's just not fun for them and I think we need to

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respect that too it's it's not um it's not the be all and end all I would say I've never had a

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class I've taught age three to 19 I've never had a class that were interested in role play I've

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added classes that are interested in dressing up wearing hats dressing up in things but never that

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um never that taking on a role kind of thing I'm just happy something else yeah yeah something else

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but that doesn't mean they don't I just haven't had that I've learned other classes and with my

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colleagues that have so it's just about learning what's a really hard skill you know you're acting

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isn't it you're acting you know some people find it really difficult but they definitely learn go

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go with what they're playing with learning through play I'm all for that at the moment I love it

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yeah and I guess the best thing about role play is the communication aspect trying out something

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that you haven't done before well we could you can do that in loads of other ways that's that

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isn't role play can't you um you can do lots of two-way conversation kind of games term taking

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games um cause and effect kind of toys it's all that kind of two-way conversation um musical

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instruments is a lovely one you can have a conversation of no words or even spoken so you

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can really pattern it on those skills but at that kind of early level you said nine months to two

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years so that's how it would look I would say in in those kind of in that kind of stage yeah and

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all of my students are at that stage actually there but kind of between yeah three months and

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two I suppose I hate putting ages to it but but on it helps people understand doesn't it yeah um

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I've got a question here how to get my son to try different things or decide how to make choices

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so there's two things there how to get my son to try different things uh depending on the things

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I mean I don't know if we're talking food here or or other things but I mean let's just assume

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toys I think how to make choices yeah I mean having different items available again not putting

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pressure on the child but role modeling without expectation you know even away from him you could

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be at the other side of the room suddenly you start playing with an item and doing different

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things with it and just you know being really over exaggerated with your play in the hope that

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maybe and don't rely on just on the first time thinking oh well you know wasn't interested

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that's it over time these things take so much time but obviously it's so worth it isn't it when you

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get that maybe one day he might just stand up and look at you perfect let's work on that um in the

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hope that one day he'll he'll come and sit next to you and and play with you and then we'll gradually

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move closer to him perhaps um and have different items as well with different cause and effects

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like you say working on their interests um you go go for it's the same attention autism in your

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class we do yeah yeah so I often use that to introduce new toys new resources new anything

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just because um it it tells the whole group and the adults all the things that we might be able

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to do or give us and um and I can model it and then it's their turn and we can support them with

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it and and um I just think it's it's a really great way in a structured safe predictable setting that

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they are comfortable with to be able to see oh actually that's really fun oh actually I like that

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resource otherwise if I just got a new resource and put it out there they might not even notice

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it or even know it's fun until they've seen that so it's not to say that there's only one way of

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playing with it but it's just to open up that the conversation of this could be fun what do you think

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we could use this for um like I bought a spinning fish seat uh last week I've now bought two it's

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it's an incredibly expensive hobby uh teaching uh but I've got a spinning I've got two spinning

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fish seats now and um and I introduced it through attention autism we did it as a stage three

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activity so it was my turn it was the supporting adults turn and then it was their turn and they

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got oh great yeah you sit on this you spin it really fast right I love this this is great

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whereas if they just saw it in the room they wouldn't necessarily know what what is fun about

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it it just is like a metal seat you know it's not fun um so yeah attention autism is a great way of

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trying different things um how to decide to or decide how to make choices um I mean there is a

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route that you can do of of not choosing not giving them the option of two things that you know they

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do want you know you can start just by offering them one thing that you know they really really

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love and something that's really really boring and and it's just a practice that are of choosing

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because that's that's the first skill isn't it is either looking or reaching or batting away the one

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they don't want whatever it is that's the early stages um we do it uh we started it with one of

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my uh learners we had a food pouch and then a colored paper the same color but just paper

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and he had to choose which one he wanted well clearly he always wants the food pouch he knows

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he wants the food pouch it was really good practicing for the art of choosing and after

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reading what he does with his choice because actually he doesn't reach for the one he wants

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at all he bats away the one he doesn't so now we know when we give him a choice if he reaches

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for one it's not because he wants it it's because he's batting away so it helps us with that um the

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understanding and his communication as well and this is similar to what we go down preferred and

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non-preferred and then start gradually putting another choice in the same screen how they cope

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with that but again no pressure no demand um but it is hard to make choices you know we all find

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difficult to make choices especially if it's something that we really really want um but

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it's uh i'd say maybe if they're choosing both of them and if in the situation if the situation

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allows could they have both like sometimes sometimes sometimes we want both it depends

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where they're at doesn't it and and are they is it objects you're showing them is it symbols

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you're showing them is it photos you're showing them um that could have a difference as well of

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of the understanding um yeah i've got some children that i will show objects to and they're

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just not fussed either way as well and be careful of the amount of praise as well because i've got

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again i've got mixture who love the praise you've made a choice and then i've made that mistake of

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going oh i don't want it now yeah you get so really quickly don't you who you can pray that

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sometimes i have to really push it down because i'm so proud of them yeah it's so true and then

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they're like oh no never again oh no we're back to square one again yeah oh dear uh i've got one here

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so a six-year-old stayed in the same eyfs class struggling to regulate and bond with their one-to-one

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um they regulate well with other adults uh we are tag teaming to support him trying to get the ta to

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understand um he isn't being difficult sometimes it can be a whole number of things that the ta

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isn't even aware of it could be a certain smell yeah there were a whole range of sensory things

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and one of i worked with a child before that used to say oh you stink and it to one particular ta and

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she just couldn't get on with her and we just we worked out it was a certain perfume that she had

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and she just could not stand it so of course you could concentrate or be regulated yeah it could

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be as simple as that it could be that she wears necklaces or rings and they make a little tink

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i was gonna say i had a student back in the day years ago i can't remember how we we just worked

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it out but basically would not talk talk to me if i wore stripes on a monday wednesday friday

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and that's with ages but it's obviously just just things and it took ages to work that out but yeah

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don't work don't talk to us it's amazing to work that out they yeah i mean um we all make little

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rules and routines for ourselves but even more so with autism because they're trying to make their

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world feel predictable and because it's so unpredictable um that they often make really

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seemingly bizarre but not obviously it's it's perfectly normal for them um choices and rules

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for themselves to make the world feel safer and if that is don't wear stripes on monday wednesday

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friday then that's what that is then you could you can do you can't do much to fix that until you know

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um so i suppose the real answer is um uh make sure you're logging what any triggers are yeah it could

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be a certain lesson it could be a certain person at least you know it's the same person um it could

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be just their voice their tone of voice um i was gonna say it might be the case that maybe you know

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they didn't like the tone of voice you know one day you know maybe it wasn't you know meant that

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way but they could have taken something completely the wrong way and that's it shut down mode and you

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start needing to build on that relationship again um if he was able to regulate with others but not

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this particular member of staff so we all get on with some people and not others absolutely and the

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difference is is that we care too much about what people think so show it because actually i think

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it's rather beautiful that you know exactly where you stand with often and it's okay maybe this

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person isn't meant to work with this child and i sometimes that's okay um i try to pair up my

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adults and children thinking about personality traits like the adults that are really up for it

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and running around and and happy to be outside all the time in all weathers they'd be wasted on

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children that aren't like that so i try and i with my pairings i try to think really carefully about

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personality likes interest just because then you're gonna get the best results i'm not gonna be

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aren't you i feel like that's part of creating the timetable that sometimes is just thinking about

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yeah personalities and and what's gonna work but yeah sometimes it is something that you

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aren't even aware of like a smell or a way somebody speaks even could be really triggering

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or something you've eaten in front of the child maybe and that's it or something that you ate

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earlier in the day and they can smell it and it's great yeah yeah exactly the thing is with sensory

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regulation they can they're feeling all their senses at the same volume all at the same time

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so yeah it could be all sorts of things couldn't it um but the thing is we need to kind of respect

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that because you know we can change we can change ourselves to a point but ultimately we can't and

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if they're not learning and not regulated then we need to make we need to make change not them

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that's good so definitely yeah um any strategies to support the people who is acting violent towards

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staff and pupils um we try to make sure obvious needs are met but some days it feels like we are

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continually telling him to have kind hands this one comes up quite often i think yeah it's a tricky

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one you just want to know more about that yeah i'm pinpoint what the point is i think that's the

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point isn't it i think i would start some kind of abc chart or something start logging try and work

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how where is this happening when is it happening and then ultimately why is this happening the

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trigger yeah is it transition times you know is it directed work um the way that you're introducing

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the work to the student is it all paperwork yeah is it are they regulating themselves beforehand

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are they ready to learn you know that's the same you're making sure they're basic needs and met

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doing toilet food drink um but yeah it's definitely trying to to work out what that trigger could be

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um and again it's going back from all the things we said previously it could be any anything of

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those isn't it that we've spoken and acting violent towards staff and pupils i mean ultimately

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that's communicating go away isn't it ultimately i mean if you want people to go away quickly and

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get off your back quickly that's a really um effective way of doing it isn't it and how and

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and the reaction that he he expects you know in the part how have you reacted in the past

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you know say he knows that works yeah i absolutely i know you go away and i can i get to to get out

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of that situation isn't it yeah it's fights fright or flight right it's the fight um so we need to

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offer be offering other ways that they can get that space and start and not work first then have

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space i see that all the time it's space i need space now it's it's as important as breathing for

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these children they need space then and and yes okay they might learn it's an opt-out la la la

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yes yes yes yes yes i get that but more often than not it is just because they generally space

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and when they're calm they can come back and finish their job when they're regulated but

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when a child is asking for space to be to honor it because otherwise they're going to be violent

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and then they're going to get space anyway and then their work's never going to be done anyway so

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let's kind of i was going to say you've lost you've lost the trust isn't it you know you're going to

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push me you're going to push me but actually now the learning is the learning isn't there you need

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to backtrack now and again start building on that relationship doing something fun with this board

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otherwise the learning is going to happen anyway and then the trust is broken as well so you're

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you want to lose lose really so it might feel like you're giving in or it might look like you're

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giving in to other people and you might get judgment for that i hear that all the time at

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ta's are saying it i keep getting told off for like giving him what he wants i mean no you're

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doing it's so hard isn't it when you're in a room with judging adults it's really no matter what

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your role is it's it's really challenging and i get it because there must be there must be so much

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pressure to think that i have to get this board to this to learn this and to do this at the end

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of this but actually no it takes a lot of time to build that trust and relationship as the learning's

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not there there's absolutely no point in pushing that go back to square one start again like say

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work out those triggers and ultimately what's the point they could be um author ready they could be

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phd ready they could know quantum physics if they're violent to people when they want space

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rather than asking for it they're not going to be able to achieve anything in life no matter how

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well academic they are you know so without the fundamental social skills and and um self

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regulation skills we've lost them at the first hurdle they could be as yeah they could be as

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clever as anything and and learning all these things and and actually it's kind of good for

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nothing really i used to say that a lot about my um my first class um they were year kind of age

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11 to 16 i had them over five years and some of them are incredible at maths incredible but they

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would never be able to get on a bus and buy a bus ticket they'd never be able to go to a shop

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independently and and and gift coins and get change what they want they could do it over the table

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they could do it over the table to the house going out coming they get times and

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dust decimals and all these things they're incredible but what was i doing all that for

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if i wasn't also working on their independence and social skills and and um confidence and

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self-esteem and all those things that we put second actually enable the children to use the

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skills they're learning yeah i mean there's some there's some stuff isn't there that we can't

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assess curriculum wise that just means so much more and meaningful to the to the child for their

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own independence and and life skills isn't it and i i remember a student in particular i ended up

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having it for three years but it took a year it took the first year just to get her head out of

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my chest because she that's her that was her safe space the majority of the time she would just come

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to me bury herself in me and it would just take so long to get her just to sit down two minutes away

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from me and that's okay because you away from other people doesn't it that's a huge amount

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it took but you know it's making sure it's okay to know that it takes time and a lot of patience

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you know but all those skills that i couldn't assess on paper you know you know you know

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curriculum wise but after the last it took a year but at the end of year we're like look how far

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she's come yeah and then it was like kept up with yeah yeah at some time yeah yeah to to their own

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um where they can yeah um uh since september we haven't had a teacher we are finally getting

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our class teacher on wednesday wow this is for a specialist school any tips on what i could do to

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help smooth the change of face this is really interesting isn't it because when i'm i've often

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speak to teachers coming into classes and my answer is always um don't think you have to know

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it all be lose your ego listen to the teaching assistants they know the children they know the

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class they know what they've tried before don't come in bolshy and feel like you have to prove

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yourself be humble and just take follow their lead is what i say to teachers but this is really

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interesting we're not talking to the teachers it's the other way around so i mean i really hope that

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you would have a really humble teacher come in and say help me yes but that's not always the way

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because sometimes when we're feeling unsure and and we've got our own self-esteem stuff going on

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and we don't know the children we feel a little bit you know like we should be knowing it you

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might come in actually the opposite of humble we could have big egos and and want to stamp things

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and and put our name to things and and make change and prove ourselves and that could be really

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difficult as a supporting adult in a class when you know the children and you know and you know

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how they work yeah like we're you know what three weeks in now so routines will start to be embedded

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with the student so i think it's important for support staff to be able to tell this teacher who

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comes in next week to go we are open to your ideas and your suggestions um at the moment since you

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know since week one this is how we've been doing it we've noticed that there's a bit of you know

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we need a bit of tweaking so your so your input is great yeah we're noticing this is really working

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at the moment just making sure that the teachers you're sort of putting that right that we are aware

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that you know you're going to bring things and brilliant we're open-minded um but if there's

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some really important things that you think actually know this is working we really want then i

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think you need to be open and honest with this team this is what we're noticing is working don't

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be afraid to be open and honest yeah like i say support staff you're there every single day you

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know i'm there four days a week my one-day paperwork so you're you know these these students a lot more

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these little routines you know a lot more because i'm at my desk or doing other things yeah you know

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so i always would say be open and honest yeah to this teacher and also and also just willing to try

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it might be that her way sounds like a way you've tried before but it might be have a really subtle

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difference that actually does support your students so it is about coming with humility coming um

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um with no egos on your side but also advocating for the children at the end of the day isn't it

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definitely yeah and and maybe asking for opportunities to meet together without the

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children there okay it's always awkward you don't like talking about children in front of children

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and all of that so if there's a carved out time also within those first crucial few days where you

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can get together get your head right this is working this isn't what we're going to do about

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this trying to keep consistency so that you're not all doing different things and have different

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agendas trying to really keep that solid but it's it's hard for very established teams um

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but the fact you've asked this question i think it's wonderful yeah that says all i need to know

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about this wonderful class yes yeah definitely good luck yeah exactly um and actually i often say just

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the fact that my the algorithm has put you on in me in front of you says all i need to know

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you're searching the right things all the right time okay my my child is seven very smart but

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won't sit down in class um but uh excels in occupational therapy and speech therapy but

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they won't sit down in class wow i mean excels in ot brilliant then you know it's a self-regulating

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thing isn't it that you're just gonna have to really slowly start introducing the chair

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but allowing that student to have that that space um where they're put in the room is going to be a

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big factor you know obviously if they're at the front of the room and if you're trying to get

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them to sit down then of course that's going to disrupt others um so maybe watch out where

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you're placing the student maybe at the back of the room and so there is space for him to

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sort of run up and down um uh and have regular regular breaks regular breaks having one of the

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I love the spiky cushions they're still moving on that chair um yeah can you do can you do work

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standing up i mean yeah that's what i was gonna say maybe work standing up or maybe how long is

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he being asked to sit down for yes what you know pinpoint exactly when actually you do want him to

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be able to sit down i mean say work standing up in my classroom i think the only thing we make

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them sit down i mean god you know me i don't make them do anything but they're not going to be able

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to do anything but they encourage them to sit down is when they're eating yes because there's

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a safety element there um it's for no other reason than safety um but yeah they do their work station

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standing up they can do their work standing up they can join attention autism standing up or

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pacing or whatever but when they're my first the first time i would ask them to sit down or

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model sitting down with them would be to eat i think i think that's that feels different to me

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that walking eating thing there is other things going on there isn't there and it's not back in

386
00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:16,560
the day if you were to ask me even to you know year two years ago this question i possibly would

387
00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:22,320
have said oh how about giving a timer but you know i've just learned now through everyone on

388
00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:27,840
instagram with their amazing ideas and inspiration that actually doing that is counterproductive in a

389
00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:33,440
way because you can't like i say you got a timer you put it on for 30 seconds you can't you know

390
00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:37,680
you can't make it like you said you can't make a child sit down you can't force a child to sit down

391
00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:41,040
and then if you lose that first minute you know they get up after 10 seconds of your

392
00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:44,880
footment time you've lost it already you've lost what they're trying to do and then what you're

393
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:50,240
going to do restrain them like it's pointless but it was it was interesting i was thinking

394
00:37:50,240 --> 00:37:54,960
yeah back in the day i would have said oh time running work on building it up but actually

395
00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:59,600
no you know i get rid of i get rid of and i suppose maybe maybe they're sitting down for

396
00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:07,200
a fun activity like my kids they never sit for 40 minutes but yesterday friday lunchtime i got slime

397
00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:14,560
out and four of my learners out of 10 were sat for 40 minutes over their lunch break they could

398
00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:20,400
choose to get up whenever they wanted using slides that might be a really great way of

399
00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:28,240
practicing the art of sitting is by providing something that makes them want to and if it's

400
00:38:28,240 --> 00:38:33,520
feet you know if it's in terms of moving your feet you know sitting on a bouncy ball at the table

401
00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:37,920
or you know sitting on something else as well or like you say having something that they can

402
00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:42,880
tap their feet on a stepper sometimes that one they're still moving and obviously in the

403
00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:50,080
ferro bands yes on the leg yeah you exercise on the legs yeah and you put them on the tear legs

404
00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:55,360
and then you can bounce your feet or or legs um against them or you can stretch your feet up

405
00:38:55,360 --> 00:39:01,840
against it um yeah there's oh and wobble cushions i don't always sit on them but sometimes um i put

406
00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:06,160
them under their feet i'm just gonna say on the ground that works really well doesn't it

407
00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:12,400
uh vibration cushions as well gives lovely movement if they can either sit on them or lean back on them

408
00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:18,400
there's lots of ways of getting movement when you're sat and maybe that's a good thing as well

409
00:39:18,400 --> 00:39:27,840
to look into um there's another one here i just seen it uh which i thought was worth mentioning

410
00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:32,320
it's not a question but it's worth mentioning i attended a talk from a young autistic lady

411
00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:36,880
she explained a massive meltdown when she was um non-speaking as someone had changed the

412
00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:43,840
color of their front door on her daily route and the frustration she felt yeah i think we can learn

413
00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:56,400
a lot from autistic um uh speakers and i've seen a few and i always leave feeling um really like i

414
00:39:56,400 --> 00:40:02,640
i i always leave feeling like i understand just a little bit more but also there's remind a lovely

415
00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:10,000
reminder that i've still got so much more to learn um and um it's a really amazing insight into what

416
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:15,760
our non-speaking learners might be feeling obviously it's not guaranteed no one knows but

417
00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:25,280
um one of the speakers it's always sat with me said that her skin on her on her head or his sorry

418
00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:32,640
his skin on his head is as sensitive as his eyeball and that is why he doesn't like to um have it

419
00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:39,760
shaved can you imagine like shaving your eye eyeball no wonder he doesn't want it to be

420
00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:46,880
safe that sits with you you can't hear that and work with autistic people and not think but what

421
00:40:46,880 --> 00:40:52,400
if they all are and of course like maybe they're not but what if they are like what gives you that

422
00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:57,040
bit more awareness and compassion for those children that strip their clothes all the time

423
00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:02,240
what if their skin is as sensitive as an eyeball i wouldn't want clothes touching my eyeball either

424
00:41:02,240 --> 00:41:08,800
you know and it's almost best to assume that it is because it just gives so much more understanding

425
00:41:08,800 --> 00:41:16,320
they're not being awkward it's not bad behavior it's not a choice these senses are so heightened

426
00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:23,600
or you know seeking or whatever there is real reason and these speaking autistic um adults that

427
00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:27,760
are doing these incredible talks putting themselves out there can't put stone and sharing this

428
00:41:27,760 --> 00:41:34,880
knowledge at the forefront of us understanding and doing better really absolutely and and just

429
00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:38,480
what you've just said there were the lady that pinned about the you know the color door you

430
00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:46,240
underestimate how many things in their day before they come into school that could really upset them

431
00:41:46,240 --> 00:41:49,840
you know it breaks it breaks my heart for example where i know we've got a lot of students where

432
00:41:49,840 --> 00:41:55,120
you know we've got a massive shortage of school escorts on many buses and how many times there's

433
00:41:55,120 --> 00:42:02,560
been no escort on the bus or um you know change of face and everything or in a taxi you know and it

434
00:42:02,560 --> 00:42:07,680
just breaks your heart thinking well you know would you want your 11 year old had to go on us on a taxi

435
00:42:07,680 --> 00:42:13,920
without that familiar comfort face you know to being a new driver a stranger going to school

436
00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:19,360
but it's all those other things you know in a traffic jam and everything you just realize

437
00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:26,160
yeah i always like to think if if something's changed in their school routine for example they

438
00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:32,240
don't go up to the field because it's wet play for example i like to assume that my learners then

439
00:42:32,240 --> 00:42:37,520
think but does that mean i then don't go home does that mean i don't have lunch does that mean

440
00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:42,720
i don't have dinner does that mean i don't see my mom and dad ever again like we know of course those

441
00:42:42,720 --> 00:42:46,720
things aren't happening of course they're still it's just a wet field it will be fine tomorrow

442
00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:52,720
let's assume that they don't know those things let's talk them through it let's have a visual

443
00:42:52,720 --> 00:42:55,520
schedule i mean that's what's so important about visual schedule is that it makes it concrete they

444
00:42:55,520 --> 00:43:02,240
can say oh it is wet play but then i'm still going home oh okay okay um some of my learners only have

445
00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:09,760
the next few um uh jobs on their visual schedule some children have to lunch time but one of mine

446
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:14,960
it's really important that he sees home on the schedule so we have it as long as the wall it's

447
00:43:14,960 --> 00:43:19,360
about two meters long this thing everything he does that day and it's really important that we

448
00:43:19,360 --> 00:43:23,360
think really carefully i've been ages doing it thinking right how are they listening i'm gonna

449
00:43:23,360 --> 00:43:30,400
go through this we can't have home time at 12 o'clock you know um it's about two meters long

450
00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:37,360
but because he's so important that he has to see home on there because without that he genuinely

451
00:43:38,080 --> 00:43:44,320
thinks he's not getting home i mean it's really important to him and after that he's and he's

452
00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:50,400
happy with with with assuming that mom knows um what happens after home but he needs to see that

453
00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:56,480
on there it's really important to him and i guess that just comes with mileage and time and experimenting

454
00:43:56,480 --> 00:44:01,920
with these new children i suppose and having compassion that you know when they get upset

455
00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:07,360
you know because you know swimming's been cancelled you know i'd be upset too and it's very quick for

456
00:44:07,360 --> 00:44:13,200
for for staff to think you know come on it's okay you know calm down calm down no let them be unhappy

457
00:44:13,200 --> 00:44:19,360
because i'm unhappy too with my favorite activity name that um yeah name that emotion as well yeah

458
00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:24,640
and feel it let them feel it let them think like on your symbols on your tablet are we sad

459
00:44:24,640 --> 00:44:32,640
yeah exactly tones out and we had it um i've just moved um classrooms so we had two year sixes that

460
00:44:32,640 --> 00:44:38,240
didn't get a year seven place so we've kept them and made a new classroom for them um so i'm now

461
00:44:38,240 --> 00:44:47,280
full time okay okay it's the best hobby ever um and um but we were in the playground and he saw

462
00:44:47,840 --> 00:44:52,000
he hadn't seen one of our ta's from the other class yet you know not purposely you just haven't

463
00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:58,880
seen them in ages and he got really upset and rather than being like oh separate them oh that's

464
00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:05,920
really sad i said no come in and she said and she said i miss you too um this classroom's really

465
00:45:05,920 --> 00:45:09,520
lovely you know they were talking though he's not speaking which was talking and saying you know

466
00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:15,600
i'll see you i'll see you on the playground and then after um she left we found her picture on his

467
00:45:15,600 --> 00:45:21,920
tablet from last year and we were talking about her and that we're sad because we miss her and

468
00:45:21,920 --> 00:45:28,240
and it was a really really important moment it wasn't easy he was incredibly distressed it was

469
00:45:28,240 --> 00:45:32,880
heartbreaking to see of course we wanted to just fix it for him pack it up and distract him but

470
00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:39,840
actually in that moment what was best was just to be sad together and and it's a it's a lesson in

471
00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:45,200
grief almost isn't it he was grieving that he he adores her and he wasn't going to see her and i

472
00:45:45,200 --> 00:45:52,320
think seeing her reminded him that he was sad about that we got a passion and empathy and i think

473
00:45:53,040 --> 00:45:58,880
you know school is their safe it has to be a safe place it's not just about learning you know school

474
00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:03,600
has to be a place where they feel secure and safe and you've got to do as much as you can to put

475
00:46:03,600 --> 00:46:07,360
that in place and i think it leads on well to something that i think you've pinned now

476
00:46:07,360 --> 00:46:15,200
is have do you have any advice for anxious for an anxious child not wanting to attend school so many

477
00:46:17,360 --> 00:46:25,680
so many and i know i mean my advice first thing is um whether it's their own child is or or you

478
00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:31,600
notice that no child in your class is just trying to work out what it is that is causing that anxiety

479
00:46:31,600 --> 00:46:37,040
is it something that's happening on the transition is it something that's happening at school um take

480
00:46:37,040 --> 00:46:41,680
the learning out of the equation at the moment we need to make sure this this person is feeling safe

481
00:46:41,680 --> 00:46:45,760
at school and obviously at the moment they're not and it's trying to identify definitely and

482
00:46:45,760 --> 00:46:54,080
i'm assuming um if they're a parent it's advocating for them and almost fight in their corner room

483
00:46:54,080 --> 00:47:00,800
look can we just not wear uniform can we just um come an hour late and just come for half an hour

484
00:47:00,800 --> 00:47:06,320
can they just see work with this teacher in the corridor under the table can they just wear

485
00:47:06,320 --> 00:47:11,440
you know trainers and bring their teddies can they uh i've got a student with that comes in with a

486
00:47:11,440 --> 00:47:16,560
blanket over their head yeah i've got somebody comes in with a dressing gown dark glasses with a

487
00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:22,320
rag yeah whatever what what does it bother me if i try what why doesn't bother me it doesn't you

488
00:47:22,320 --> 00:47:27,440
know but you know some people aren't very that's not what we should be doing no yeah you know

489
00:47:27,440 --> 00:47:33,920
maybe we're trying table um desirable for them um maybe they just join pe if that's their thing

490
00:47:33,920 --> 00:47:40,960
and then we work up from there backwards chain it you know just do the do start with the things

491
00:47:40,960 --> 00:47:47,200
that you know they can achieve um and then hopefully they build confidence and we build

492
00:47:47,200 --> 00:47:52,000
confidence because often they're feeling the parents anxiety because there's so much pressure

493
00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:57,760
because they've got to go to work and then the the teacher's anxiety because they've got to keep

494
00:47:57,760 --> 00:48:01,920
them here because mom said we can't call her because she's at work today whatever you know

495
00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:09,120
there's so much anxiety around it that's not even anything to do with the child let's let's see what

496
00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:13,120
works let's see how we can work with that because otherwise the alternative is they will be hiring

497
00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:17,440
all the time if we can get them into school even for half an hour at first and work and then build

498
00:48:17,440 --> 00:48:22,560
on that that would be good but but have it be because of the child's best interest to have

499
00:48:22,560 --> 00:48:26,000
half an hour be at half an hour at school it's not because it's in the school's best interest

500
00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:34,960
no let me be really clear about that this is the child leading the time and the child leading the

501
00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:40,400
timetable not the the staff can't cope for more than half an hour that's not what i'm talking

502
00:48:40,400 --> 00:48:47,280
about that is that's another that's a whole different thing if the child can only cope with

503
00:48:47,280 --> 00:48:53,200
short stints certain lessons certain teachers certain areas start there take the demand off

504
00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:57,840
definitely yeah and it might just be the transition alone is enough so it might just be

505
00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:02,640
the first few days of just driving to the gate giving a high five to the teacher and going home

506
00:49:02,640 --> 00:49:13,520
again and that is seen as a success absolutely um yeah i've i've had a couple of um refusers that

507
00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:21,120
have dropped siblings off and then and expected to go home again or um and and it ended up as it was

508
00:49:21,120 --> 00:49:27,360
too loud in class or it's too busy or they weren't being seen heard played with understood they wanted

509
00:49:27,360 --> 00:49:31,200
a break from their sibling you know there's so many reasons why they'd want to and it's just

510
00:49:31,200 --> 00:49:36,160
about unpicking that isn't it and again like we started right at the beginning creating that

511
00:49:36,160 --> 00:49:41,040
heaven for them creating that that amazing environment that of course they want to be in

512
00:49:41,040 --> 00:49:46,880
and feel safe in and yeah if you're a parent you could know all of this stuff and you're like yeah

513
00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:51,840
i know but the school aren't listening hammer hammer the school with with information you know

514
00:49:51,840 --> 00:49:56,640
keep keep at it you know i mean that you know you always hear you know staff saying we've got a

515
00:49:56,640 --> 00:50:02,880
difficult parent here and it's like no no no they're advocating and you know yeah i always

516
00:50:02,880 --> 00:50:08,960
say to parents don't worry about being that parent no no that's the only way to get things done and

517
00:50:08,960 --> 00:50:15,120
actually um and actually part of the role of the sen parent you find you don't choose this role but

518
00:50:15,120 --> 00:50:22,000
you kind of find yourself in this never-ending fight basically and unfortunately that yeah that

519
00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:26,240
does come with the role and and lots of you do it incredibly well it's unfortunately it should be

520
00:50:26,800 --> 00:50:31,760
it shouldn't be the case but it is yeah it's always a fight isn't it for parents and it's yeah it

521
00:50:31,760 --> 00:50:35,920
breaks your heart i don't you know we know that the system's broken at the moment but yeah i always

522
00:50:35,920 --> 00:50:40,320
think you know if i've got a parent who i know of who's you know managed to win this support and

523
00:50:40,320 --> 00:50:46,240
get this access to this and that's it and my response was good for them yeah yeah absolutely

524
00:50:46,240 --> 00:50:54,480
good for them yeah and can i email them to find out how yeah i've done it before actually um

525
00:50:55,200 --> 00:51:00,800
if i hear a parent that's you know written this letter whatever and got funding or got this um

526
00:51:00,800 --> 00:51:05,280
open the doors for something that they couldn't or whatever i say can i see your your email thread

527
00:51:05,280 --> 00:51:09,600
can you forward it to me because and do you mind if i share it with other parents that are in a

528
00:51:09,600 --> 00:51:15,840
similar situation to you and very rarely would they say no because they know exactly where they're at

529
00:51:15,840 --> 00:51:22,080
um i did it with my year sevens and that didn't have the school place um the child before in our

530
00:51:22,080 --> 00:51:25,920
class and our school didn't have a year seven place and they his parents sent me everything

531
00:51:25,920 --> 00:51:30,480
there was legal statements there was the people cc didn't do it all need to do you know it just

532
00:51:30,480 --> 00:51:35,120
makes it so much easier doesn't it if we're all kind of helping each other out in that way um

533
00:51:35,120 --> 00:51:41,200
um yeah but you're right it's a shame that we have to do it in the first place yeah um okay i

534
00:51:41,200 --> 00:51:49,120
think this might be our last one um go for it maybe you pick one and i pick one yeah i've got one to

535
00:51:49,120 --> 00:51:56,000
finish up yeah you go okay okay um what advice do you have for when a child starts to recognize

536
00:51:56,000 --> 00:52:01,680
their differences to their peers are a self-conscious of it um they don't want differentiated work or

537
00:52:01,680 --> 00:52:07,680
they don't want to wear ear defenders or they don't want a fidget um i i personally use my

538
00:52:07,680 --> 00:52:13,680
supporting adults so not not to mock or mimic but genuinely my supporting adults in my class

539
00:52:13,680 --> 00:52:21,920
um are neurodivergent so i've got some adults that um like fidgets i've got some adults that

540
00:52:21,920 --> 00:52:28,640
need weighted blankets i've got some adults that find noise overwhelming so we model the strategies

541
00:52:28,640 --> 00:52:33,680
that we would want our children to use ear defenders weighted blankets fidget tools um

542
00:52:33,680 --> 00:52:39,360
taking a break and saying but saying it verbally um refusing consent when i ask them if they want

543
00:52:39,360 --> 00:52:44,320
to have a turn in attention autism if they don't want a turn they say no thank you and stay in

544
00:52:44,320 --> 00:52:51,760
their seat it's i think utilizing those supporting adults as models to genuinely meet their needs not

545
00:52:52,320 --> 00:52:57,760
i mean fake it too i suppose but actually it's even more powerful if they genuinely have those

546
00:52:57,760 --> 00:53:05,200
needs um and but avoiding the whys and what they're doing then the children might it might

547
00:53:05,200 --> 00:53:11,040
embed a culture of this is actually perfectly okay and building the self-esteem of that child as well

548
00:53:11,040 --> 00:53:15,520
isn't it i'll say yeah role modeling completely and knowing that it's okay and it's and you know

549
00:53:15,520 --> 00:53:20,080
and it's so hard to it's easy to easy for me to say you know to boost their self-esteem and to

550
00:53:20,080 --> 00:53:25,200
know that it's okay to be different because you know peer pressure you know growing up as a as a

551
00:53:25,200 --> 00:53:30,960
young young person it's hard enough it's hard enough in this world anyway let alone when you're

552
00:53:30,960 --> 00:53:38,480
aware i often say to people that um um i know non-speaking level three autism is a challenge

553
00:53:38,480 --> 00:53:46,320
it comes with lots of its challenges but my heart always breaks for those that are different enough

554
00:53:47,280 --> 00:53:52,240
but aware and aware of it to be aware that they're different and what they're missing out on

555
00:53:52,240 --> 00:54:00,480
is heartbreaking and also they're so vulnerable because like the children in my class will always

556
00:54:00,480 --> 00:54:07,040
have carers they'll always have advocates they'll always have people fighting their corner and

557
00:54:07,040 --> 00:54:13,040
they'll always be so loved and always in a safe little bubble of love actually alongside all of

558
00:54:13,040 --> 00:54:18,320
the other things they've got you know and got to deal with actually they're always in this safe

559
00:54:18,320 --> 00:54:27,440
bubble of love often um however i'm attached to a mainstream school and i see learners with the same

560
00:54:27,440 --> 00:54:36,240
diagnosis masking having to cope being treated as behavior struggling to make friends um struggling

561
00:54:36,240 --> 00:54:45,600
to meet their needs struggling to communicate and my heart breaks it does it yeah and i think it was

562
00:54:45,600 --> 00:54:51,040
also important it's not you know what advice do you have for the child it's for you know they are

563
00:54:51,040 --> 00:54:57,280
who they are and that is okay right for everyone else it's time for you to learn empathy and

564
00:54:57,280 --> 00:55:01,840
understanding about people around you and how everyone is different and that is okay so it's

565
00:55:01,840 --> 00:55:07,120
not just about the child fitting in it's no no you fit around everyone else but you know and i've

566
00:55:07,120 --> 00:55:14,240
always said i mean i did work my previous job was um an asd manager for a mainstream autism

567
00:55:14,240 --> 00:55:19,680
and alongside a mainstream and i'll be honest with you i was there for two and a half years i set it

568
00:55:19,680 --> 00:55:24,880
up and it was a massive challenge i was literally late late 20s and it was a big role to go to to be

569
00:55:24,880 --> 00:55:30,480
it's a major role but what i found the most challenging was exactly what you just said i

570
00:55:30,480 --> 00:55:36,000
found it heartbreaking that you know teenagers 13 year olds coming to me going i don't i know i'm

571
00:55:36,000 --> 00:55:40,800
different and i don't and it yeah i used to come home and just be in tears because i just don't know

572
00:55:40,800 --> 00:55:46,960
how to help them and i found that the most mental health mental health is the biggest risk for an

573
00:55:46,960 --> 00:55:53,600
autism diagnosis but it was always but my my viewpoint was always right assemblies tutor time

574
00:55:53,600 --> 00:56:00,320
every single day for these others for the other students in class use that you learn kindness

575
00:56:00,320 --> 00:56:09,840
empathy yeah and it's shown they will follow the adults lead yes and it does work it did work every

576
00:56:09,840 --> 00:56:15,040
day that's an activity learning that empathy and compassion for other people and the and so the

577
00:56:15,040 --> 00:56:20,560
understanding when you saw because if they're seeing if if the students are seeing a child

578
00:56:20,560 --> 00:56:26,720
getting told off or whatever for using their fidget or for making noises not giving eye contact

579
00:56:26,720 --> 00:56:32,960
all of those things that we probably hear all the time they're going to learn that that's not

580
00:56:32,960 --> 00:56:39,360
normal that's bad behavior these children are put on red and all of those things yeah it breathes a

581
00:56:39,360 --> 00:56:46,800
culture of you must mask your needs doesn't it whereas actually if the teacher at the front

582
00:56:46,800 --> 00:56:54,720
was supporting and assistants are supportive of it encouraging of it understanding of it it just

583
00:56:54,720 --> 00:57:00,640
breeds a culture that that it's okay for everybody to meet their needs because let's face it even if

584
00:57:00,640 --> 00:57:05,600
you're not haven't got sensory regulation needs if you've had some really bad news in the morning

585
00:57:05,600 --> 00:57:11,280
or if you've had a really bad weekend or there's a safeguarding concern or whatever you might need a

586
00:57:11,280 --> 00:57:15,600
fidget that day you might need more breaks that day and it's almost like reading the culture of

587
00:57:15,600 --> 00:57:20,160
like we all go have these ties or we go through something we need something extra and we need to

588
00:57:20,720 --> 00:57:28,480
yeah be empathetic of all those times but in the workplace too with with with staff to staff no

589
00:57:28,480 --> 00:57:36,000
talking involved it needs to be it needs to be just part of the culture of the school i think yeah

590
00:57:37,280 --> 00:57:42,720
okay your last question last one and it's not necessarily about students it's about being

591
00:57:42,720 --> 00:57:53,120
teachers how to work how do you manage a work home balance yeah no i'm no i'm gonna be honest about

592
00:57:53,120 --> 00:58:00,880
this i um send teaching i think we have a far better more realistic balance than mainstream i

593
00:58:00,880 --> 00:58:12,800
have to say yeah um lots of the things i do out of work are choices they're the extras i feel like i

594
00:58:12,800 --> 00:58:19,040
genuinely can do my day job in my hours and i don't think any not all teachers can say that

595
00:58:19,040 --> 00:58:26,560
and that that's because of things like um i don't have 60 books to mark um all of my evidence is

596
00:58:26,560 --> 00:58:33,040
taken with photos and ipads it is instant my planning is done once every six weeks

597
00:58:33,840 --> 00:58:41,600
and then we repeat lots of things uh lots of my work tasks are actual resources so they are in

598
00:58:41,600 --> 00:58:46,960
bags and i need to collect them all once and then it's done rather than paper photocopies you know

599
00:58:46,960 --> 00:58:58,240
creating those kind of things um yeah so i would say in that sense it is better with time and i

600
00:58:58,240 --> 00:59:06,800
think um yeah i think that's fair to say however it is more costly um i don't know menessian

601
00:59:06,800 --> 00:59:10,960
teacher out there that doesn't you know spend their own money on their classroom because

602
00:59:10,960 --> 00:59:17,440
because of that we can't just photocopy worksheets and print from twinkle it doesn't work like that

603
00:59:17,440 --> 00:59:24,880
we have to have shaving foam fly swatters uh rice let's say food how many times you're on your

604
00:59:24,880 --> 00:59:31,840
head the food i'll just add it in i know popcorn flour more weekly cooking lessons it all comes out

605
00:59:31,840 --> 00:59:36,720
of you know um our very limited budget and then our pockets it does and it's one of the reasons

606
00:59:36,720 --> 00:59:42,080
well the main reason why i started this account i'm going to be honest because i thought well i'm

607
00:59:42,080 --> 00:59:47,200
doing all this stuff you know like let's find a way of funding the fun stuff i want to do all this

608
00:59:47,200 --> 00:59:52,320
fun stuff with them but it's becoming unmanageable not so the job isn't unmanageable in time it's

609
00:59:52,320 --> 00:59:58,800
unmanageable it's not all energy actually i've got enough energy to do it it's almost financially

610
00:59:58,800 --> 01:00:05,280
unviable to to to do everything that i feel like the children deserve within the budget

611
01:00:05,280 --> 01:00:09,760
um and that was why i started it at christmas um the budgets were getting tighter and tighter

612
01:00:09,760 --> 01:00:15,120
and tighter we were losing more and more adults um we were talking about water bills and electricity

613
01:00:15,120 --> 01:00:19,520
bills i thought i've been teaching for 15 years i've never been told about the electricity bill

614
01:00:19,520 --> 01:00:24,160
like this is crazy i'm gonna do something about this i kind of took it on my own hands inside this

615
01:00:24,160 --> 01:00:29,920
account and um yeah i'm fun in my own classroom pretty much but i'm really proud of it i'll say

616
01:00:29,920 --> 01:00:37,840
the work you put into it certainly does show you have to but i want to it's a choice um but as far

617
01:00:37,840 --> 01:00:46,800
as work-life balance goes i definitely it's my choice to work this hard um it's finally worked

618
01:00:46,800 --> 01:00:51,280
for you isn't it i mean i'm at the moment i'm working full time i'm covering my job shows on

619
01:00:51,280 --> 01:00:56,880
maternity and i'm i didn't want to get up from her because we worked so well together so i said well

620
01:00:56,880 --> 01:01:01,440
i'll cover you until you're back and there's been times i'm just going why have i done that why have

621
01:01:01,440 --> 01:01:06,320
i done that because i have found it with my two young children i have found it difficult yeah

622
01:01:06,320 --> 01:01:12,240
i have you know i've owned up to that um but it's obviously making it to making time for you you know

623
01:01:12,240 --> 01:01:17,280
i know sunday morning i just went i'm off for a couple of hours you're making a lot of resources

624
01:01:17,280 --> 01:01:23,600
you're constantly making i did it again that's a choice because i do find that relaxing hobby

625
01:01:23,600 --> 01:01:28,480
yeah and i you know i do i love you know i do love sort of making resources knowing that it'll make

626
01:01:28,480 --> 01:01:33,440
you know what what you can do so that again that's a choice yeah and again i go through phases there

627
01:01:33,440 --> 01:01:37,520
are times where i'm just like that laptop can go away in the evening yeah i'm not doing it and that

628
01:01:37,520 --> 01:01:44,480
is important to do i feel like lots of um send teachers that um are good at the job it is their

629
01:01:44,480 --> 01:01:48,800
it's their special interest it certainly is for me my classroom is my special interest

630
01:01:48,800 --> 01:01:54,480
organizing my classroom creating visuals for my classroom um organizing attention autism stuff

631
01:01:54,480 --> 01:02:01,040
my classroom planning is my special interest i genuinely love it i choose you know when my

632
01:02:01,040 --> 01:02:08,880
husband's surfing and um playing games on his laptop i don't get my laptop out and start working

633
01:02:08,880 --> 01:02:14,480
because i have to it's it's because i genuinely really enjoy it and that's probably not helping

634
01:02:14,480 --> 01:02:21,440
me i mean yeah my husband worked away the other night and i thought let's get the laptop out then

635
01:02:21,440 --> 01:02:26,960
i'll just you know make some make some stuff up i guess it's quite a creative job isn't it it's um

636
01:02:27,760 --> 01:02:33,040
i could i could um spend time creating new interactive games i could spend time making

637
01:02:33,040 --> 01:02:38,400
new like little resources i could put together a sensory massage story like yesterday morning i

638
01:02:38,400 --> 01:02:43,920
was up really early couldn't sleep so i made a sensory massage story for black history month

639
01:02:43,920 --> 01:02:47,680
and i love it it's really proud i chose music for it i'm really proud of it but it's like i didn't

640
01:02:47,680 --> 01:02:54,320
have to do that that wasn't something that was on my to-do list but i really enjoy it and i guess

641
01:02:54,320 --> 01:03:03,200
there's enough um variety within what we what we could do to kind of keep it interesting i guess

642
01:03:03,200 --> 01:03:08,800
but yeah i'm not gonna lie either i've gone from q days to full time and i cried four times on

643
01:03:08,800 --> 01:03:14,480
wednesday yeah you can tell in one of my videos actually i'm not going to tell you which one it

644
01:03:14,480 --> 01:03:20,480
is but there is a video that came out this week and you can tell i've been crying yeah i was

645
01:03:20,480 --> 01:03:26,240
gonna go yeah second day second day back in term i just had a bit of a meltdown i'm gonna have a

646
01:03:26,240 --> 01:03:32,320
full of cold anyway back to school cold everyone's ill you're running down and that you know and it's

647
01:03:32,320 --> 01:03:36,720
okay isn't it and it's important to let people know that not every day at school is going to be

648
01:03:36,720 --> 01:03:42,160
perfect they're only coming to ingrid write that off write that off no if sensory class and mrs

649
01:03:42,160 --> 01:03:50,080
priceless can admit to crying then everyone could cry because we care so much right exactly exactly

650
01:03:50,080 --> 01:03:53,680
so now i think it's this case of be kind to yourself and just doing what works for you i mean

651
01:03:53,680 --> 01:04:00,800
personally i tend to plan i i before kids i used to lock myself away for about a week in the summer

652
01:04:00,800 --> 01:04:06,320
holidays and let my planning so i could have the rest of the holidays to myself uh with two young

653
01:04:06,320 --> 01:04:12,720
kids i can't really do that now but i would work solidly every evening um from seven to eleven

654
01:04:12,720 --> 01:04:17,200
every night for about three weeks to try and get that done because the holidays because the holidays

655
01:04:17,760 --> 01:04:24,320
i want that's my time yeah and yeah i don't like working over christmas so i'm already starting

656
01:04:24,320 --> 01:04:29,280
now thinking of my planning up until easter because i want christmas that is a really good

657
01:04:29,280 --> 01:04:38,880
point isn't it it's don't judge somebody on the chapter you walked in on isn't it so people might

658
01:04:38,880 --> 01:04:45,440
see my account and think how did she do it all and feel worse for themselves i don't have children

659
01:04:45,440 --> 01:04:54,480
at home for firstly like that gives a lot of extra hours let me tell you a lot so don't judge your

660
01:04:54,480 --> 01:04:59,920
time on mine or maybe i just work two days teach two days a week and you're judging yourself when

661
01:04:59,920 --> 01:05:05,680
you teach five days and you have three children under 10 you know like so just be kind to yourself

662
01:05:05,680 --> 01:05:09,120
and actually maybe that's just not your priority maybe that's not your special interest that's

663
01:05:09,120 --> 01:05:14,080
perfectly okay it's actually perfectly okay to just do your contract hours just do your

664
01:05:14,080 --> 01:05:21,600
contract job be kind do your best and go home yeah like it's actually okay in no other profession

665
01:05:21,600 --> 01:05:28,160
would that not be okay exactly it's not to be like yeah i'm a postman but i do overtime all the time

666
01:05:28,160 --> 01:05:33,920
i'm up at 3am and if i'm up in it for an hour then i start doing my post route no no ridiculous

667
01:05:33,920 --> 01:05:37,680
no it just shows how much you care though for people who worry about stuff like that because

668
01:05:37,680 --> 01:05:41,920
it just you know in this job it's it's always at the back of your mind isn't it a job like this

669
01:05:41,920 --> 01:05:46,480
work is always there but it is so important to switch you know to learn how to switch off and

670
01:05:46,480 --> 01:05:52,560
it's okay to do that i've i had a lecture from my social worker the other day because we're foster

671
01:05:52,560 --> 01:05:57,520
carers and she said you need to learn how to switch off you need to do something for yourself

672
01:05:57,520 --> 01:06:03,360
so maybe i should take the advice yeah and find something practical that's a good one yeah

673
01:06:04,640 --> 01:06:10,240
it's easier said than done isn't it on that note of crying four times on wednesday i'm gonna

674
01:06:10,240 --> 01:06:17,040
end this life i have some time with my husband um i've loved so much for joining me kate oh

675
01:06:17,040 --> 01:06:22,720
it's been so lovely and thank you for inviting me i've absolutely loved it i love your page i

676
01:06:22,720 --> 01:06:27,600
love everything that you do so i know keep on going because i think you've got a great community

677
01:06:27,600 --> 01:06:35,040
on your page that just love what you do and it's really positive i love this um audience of it just

678
01:06:35,040 --> 01:06:40,480
feels like a bubble of love like whenever i like hear the news or any horrible stories of things

679
01:06:40,480 --> 01:06:45,680
that are happening i just kind of come here to my safety my pocket it feels like a really safe

680
01:06:45,680 --> 01:06:50,800
staff room or like in my pocket on my phone which is it's lovely isn't it and also all the teachers

681
01:06:50,800 --> 01:06:55,120
are so supportive of each other there's no competition it's just so wonderful all in the same

682
01:06:55,120 --> 01:07:12,400
boat forever learning forever sharing absolutely amen um