Hi, my name is Jordan. I am a special education
teacher from the UK. I share my passion for everything
communication, sensory regulation and fun lesson
ideas for my classroom of disabled pupils aged
4 to 11. Each week I am joined by experts in
the field answering your questions and sharing
our knowledge and experience working alongside
our beautiful young people. Let's get started.
Hello everybody and welcome to the Sensory Classroom
podcast. My name is Jordan and today I am joined
by Erin. Erin is a teacher in mainstream and
has been for 10 years as well as a yoga instructor
too. She has also been late diagnosed as neurodivergent
in adulthood, something that many of us I know
that are listening and that have been on the
podcast can relate to. Last year she moved across
country into a brand new role of opening a resource
-based provision. last year for early years and
key stage one and is currently training to be
a SENCO. Hi Erin. Thank you for having me. I
read your brief and I just thought oh my goodness
this is so useful because so often well lots
of parents and teachers listen to this podcast
and don't really understand that there are lots
of bridges between mainstream and special education,
one being resource -based, one that I teach in
too. So I was really excited to have this conversation
with you today. Before we get started, you would
like to introduce yourself a little bit. Yeah,
so I'm Erin. I'm a teacher. Like I said, I've
been teaching for 10 years and I kind of got
to the point where I thought, what's next? So
when we moved across the country, I was looking
at mainstream. jobs that were available, applying,
but it wasn't quite, I wasn't feeling very passionate
about it. So then this position I'm currently
in now came up and I didn't think too much of
it at the time, but I went for the interview,
spoke with the employers and it just seemed the
perfect position. So I have two young boys myself
or one's about to be 13 and another one that's
six. And we took the move here and. Yeah, we're
just enjoying it. It's almost fate that we've
moved here. I've ended up in the position I am.
And I'm just really enjoying it. I have no Sunday
scaries. Really? That's great. That is the dream,
isn't it, as a teacher? Did you teach beforehand?
And how does that relate to what you're doing
now, if it does at all? It does, but it's almost...
Almost like this position is me as a teacher.
My previous position, I worked in year two, year
three, sort of the cusp of Key Stage 1, Key Stage
2. I've done a lot of early years as well. And
my passion was just in that development, that
core. I think more in early years because you
see it's more evident. It's more led by the children
and what they actually need. And I think I'd
got to the point where I'd lost that a bit. I
felt just not necessarily even a teacher anymore,
just a bit of a... machine sort of pummeling
it out and having all the reasons why I wasn't
able to meet the specific needs of the children
and to me that's a big deal so I was ended up
in a position where I'd taken on the role of
mental health support lead and was doing bits
and pieces but it was very much like that was
a second thought and I was really might be the
neurodivergence in me but I just trying to go
against the grain or it might just be like the
passion in me that was noticing that actually
it's not a second thing it's not the below the
bar it's um it's really important yeah I feel
like we can we're naturally rebellious aren't
we us neurodivergent women and when we see a
problem it's really hard or something that we
can easily fix something that isn't working right
then we question that and I think that's really
important in society to honor that that that
is a really beautiful part there's lots of difficult
parts but that is a really beautiful part of
being a virgin is seeing something and wanting
to do something about it and I can totally see
how why you would be in mainstream and have you
know your own needs and you knew how what you
needed when you were younger I'm sure and you
don't want to become part of that same problem
and it's really difficult in mainstream to do
that fully and have that be your full focus because
there's so much else to consider yeah I think
that definitely is the cycle that I got in of
just knowing what needs to be little changes
that could be easy and even sort of working in
that leadership it just wasn't flowing so going
into this new role it's your initial question
was how's that transferred already diverting
it's all good but um it's obviously the knowledge
and the skills of knowing where the children
should be by the end of the key stage knowing
some of the frame of how to embed things how
to lead work with staff some of the experience
with the services but actually once I got into
that base um it was an empty room there were
no children it was I don't know whether it's
I don't know but it's just come from me and so
far nobody's told me I'm wrong And it's just
worked. And speaking to other people who have
gone into basses, it's a very similar experience.
Yeah, I came into an established bass. And honestly,
even with 16 years experience and all of my knowledge,
I would still feel weird. I would struggle. to
create a classroom without knowing the learners
first because oh god in my time I've had such
diverse needs and wants and preferences for a
classroom like I wouldn't know where to start
so I suppose that's the first thing like you
walk into this empty room have you met the children
yet have you just seen their paperwork like what
do you know about them in order to help prepare
yourself your planning your classroom for this
These 12 kids that you're just about to arrive.
So it was two sides. Again, divergence or being
a Libra, I don't know. But so it really soothed
both my sides because on one side, it was nothing.
It was empty. I was really trusted and respected,
which I feel really grateful for and feel much
more regulated in that now that I feel I was
completely respected and trusted to just be like,
yep, Erin's got it. She'll sort it. And that
was for everything. And then the other side was
my teacher brain going, what's the assessment
like? And I think, especially for the whole of
last year, where it was becoming established,
it wasn't 12 straight away. So as each child
came in and everything changed, I was constantly
battling with that. We're doing really well.
Look at this progress. Look at these regulated,
happy, thriving children. But also in my head,
right, someone's going to come along with a clipboard,
tell you this, that, and the other. And I think
I've got to a point where nobody does. So when
I set it up in September and it's the empty room,
I'm really lucky the team I work with have the
school SENCO, we're part of a large trust, so
there's the lead SENCO. So they'd worked, it's
a local authority base, so... In my area and
so many other areas, the primary special schools
are about 150 % capacity, completely diluted.
So the local authority wanted to set up bases
to try and reduce that. And our school, our trust
noticed that actually there were so many children
that were coming in that could really use that
specialist provision. They worked together to
sort of make that agreement, all the paperwork
side of it. So when I got in and it was empty,
they were kind of trusted. So I was trusted just
to do what I thought I needed to do. So because
I didn't know the children, they weren't there
yet, I thought, right, I'm going to start with
early years, continuous provision, enhanced provision
style. Followed a lot of people on Instagram
that looked what I might be soon to be like.
You clean yourself. And went from there. And
then each child that came in, we have adapted.
Our first two enjoyed that style, were quite
PDA profiles. But it was only two, and I had
a lovely TA as well. So that was great, one -on
-one. The next child had... pmld and then and
then we had another child who came in and couldn't
cope with anything on the wall so basically everything
came down and was away and it's just evolved
like that and now but and again every day every
morning change that by the way i'm 16 years in
every single child that comes in it you have
to learn again you have to change the whole room
for them again it just is every single time that's
that is that is the job and i think that is what
one of the many reasons it's from because i love
that so much because teaching when you're in
a year two classroom doing the same stuff that
you're not allowed to change the topics you're
not you know it depends how established your
school it be it's so rigid and there's me like
rocking in the corner because i'm stuck doing
the same things or the same staff meeting being
in a space that's constantly evolving and nobody's
questioning well you haven't done this today
or why do you not have that exact font why have
you not you just trusted to know the children
and i know these children so well we're like
a little um we call it i call them sort of it's
almost siblings you probably know the same that
the range of children and needs and communication
styles is so different but they all after a year
together you just create this little old school
family you can know your own little niggles your
weaknesses your strengths across the staff team
and the learners and yeah you it is like a sibling
weird like family it is so is it it's different
than a hub i don't want people to get confused
so mainstream Schools, lots of mainstream schools
are creating things like nurture hubs and hubs.
And that is where they're creating an environment
where the school is funding to support learners
that they have on role. Now, this is what's different.
This is a resource base. I'm guessing all your
learners have EHCPs. Yes, it's funded by the
county. It is classed as special provision within
a mainstream school. And that's what's different.
Some of the pupils within the school might be
able to access that, but not automatically. It
has to go through county. It has to be named
on the EHCP because funding is attached to it.
So it is different than a nurture hub. It is
this provision in its own right. And I think
in the more rural areas in the UK, it's been
a really fantastic thing. I'm in Cornwall and
we only have a few special schools, again, like
you say, up to 150 capacity. And really rural,
so children would have to travel an hour and
a half to get there and then back every day.
It's just not practical for lots of families
and lots of children. It's not possible. So having
these specialist provision, highly skilled and...
spaces within their local mainstream schools
has been a really great offer and a really great
solution to the issue of there not being enough
special schools so that that's what a resource
base is um that's how it's different than a hub
it's the level of funding and the responsibility
is then on county rather than mainstream is the
idea that they would have some inclusion in the
mainstream school or are you quite separate how
does that look in your setup so again it's different
for each child i think before it before the base
started in september all of us our vision was
we'd get the consultations we'd receive the ehcps
we'd receive to look at would be children who
could attend mainstream classrooms could participate
in perhaps whole class learning independent learning
but would need that almost not a break a bit
of a breakout space would need that and time
to come back regulate might and maybe do their
english and maths and core subjects in the base
um very quickly we learned and i've since learned
from other visits with other bases actually the
children that get sent from consultations for
the base and in between they almost the behaviors
and their needs aren't extreme enough to be special
schools sort of might decline them say they don't
quite mean because meet the needs because the
special schools are so specific and are able
to group children more for their needs and then
the mainstream schools They say they can't meet
the need because lots of the EHCPs, I think every
EHCP we've seen has like one -to -one written
on it or sensory profiles and things like that.
So we sort of get the mix. We found that we got
the mix in between. Oh, that's really interesting
because we haven't. We've got very much special
provision, like very, very much, like would be
very well suited in a special school, like absolutely
no different. It's just like an overspill of
special school. So that's really interesting
that I think as provision used to be when it
was first set up, that in -between state, those
that couldn't access mainstream, but those that...
you could do some inclusion in some lessons those
kind of kids is definitely what we had six years
ago but yeah now it's not that at all it's very
much spill so that's interesting it'll be interesting
to see how all of the resources develop over
the uk as special schools just get more and more
full i suppose yeah so that's that's what we
thought would it would be it would be like that
um typical like oh they're in class a little
bit they're in out but actually we have one maybe
two that's on a regular visits a year group peers
in the afternoon no ours is is very similar yeah
they have to get priority I guess because I suppose
there's so much need in mainstream because they're
they've now got the in -betweeners the in -betweeners
are now in mainstream you know so it's almost
like a the more full special schools get then
the resource bases are having those children
and then the more full we're getting then the
mainstream are getting those in between us and
i think that's what we're seeing we're seeing
because that lack of special school it's filtering
down and if anything it's the resource so our
base is and again speaking with colleagues it's
similar it's a room made out of another room
or it's an old classroom it's not a purpose -built
specialist provision but actually you've got
12 children who found who have completely differing
needs different communication styles and actually
it's it is a bit of by or I don't know the phrases
it is like work or survive or drown basically
yeah it is For the staff and the learners. Yeah,
I think it's a bit of a false narrative that
like we have less differentiation in special
school. Like I've never had more differentiation
because, you know, they're not even the same
age. They're not the same size. They're not the
same diagnosis, not the same communication style,
play style, sensory profile. They trigger each
other because some like noise and some don't
like noise. And, you know, it's all of it. That
is the main bit of the job I find is having to
navigate these groupings, these different child
dynamics, these different play styles and try
and make it as safe as possible whilst also trying
to teach them something. It's quite a challenge.
And I think it has taken us up to this point,
so a year and a half, where we have a routine
that for most... In my head, it's the routine
of like, you know, as soon as you can smell it,
can't you, in the morning, what the day is going
to be like. If something happens and everyone's
like, no, this is a write -off, we'll try again
tomorrow. But I think it's taken us this long
to get to the point where the children know the
routine. It's not still in the transition of
like more children coming in. But then that will
change again because we've had some go off to
further specialist provisions. um we've got some
that will then go on to our key stage two base
um so it's just it is constant change and i absolutely
love it but my friend when i moved from mainstream
and i said i'm going to take this one and i erin
you're mad you're moving across the country anyway
your two children are going to new schools it's
all new why are you adding another new thing
But it is, it's just the perfect setting. And
our key stage base is, key stage two base is
much more formal. But I think when me and my
son have spoken a lot about it, about the consultations
and how hard it is to read and assess or even
go and visit in their schools or settings to
see if the child might be suited and if they
will be able to regulate in your room. In the
early years, we've got them from when lots of
them haven't been at school. Their needs are
so high, parents haven't sent them to preschool
or nursery. Actually, whereas a typical base
might be, oh, they've been at school for a little
bit, but they need a base now. Actually, here
it's starting from ground zero. So really, it's
been really hard to consult on because you don't
know what they're going to be like until they're
in there. Until they're trying to put demand.
Yeah, exactly. Until you try and put your mind,
they could be really calm and relaxed when they've
got their favorite shows on and then their comfortable
environment with their parents that they know
and they feel understood and all of those things.
They've not got any triggering noises or anything
around them. It's how do you know is exactly
the point. And I've read loads of paperwork.
And when you meet the child, it's so different.
And then when you get to know the child, it's
different again. I do wonder, though, that as
your learners grow up, that they will then filter
into the Key Stage 2 base. both you'll you'll
both be more aligned with with the complexities
and the high support needs there just as your
learners grow up through the school you'll kind
of see that I assume yeah I think it is all a
learning curve which um has been really fast
like selfishly I've loved it because I've just
I'm learning constantly what are you enjoying
most about it I don't know. I love to ball my
friends with it. I'm like, listen to what happened
today. I think I just love that I, like a personal,
I love that I feel like I'm not being forced
to do something that I think is against the children.
Not that mainstream is harmful or anything, but
it's just purely about what... the children need
for their sensory emotional communication and
their educational needs and that I can just use
all of my knowledge and use my brain to work
out how we're going to yeah just what that's
not the extra I suppose you can go home every
night feeling satisfied that in that moment you
did the best that you could with what they needed
And I think that is a luxury in teaching, isn't
it? Another luxury is no marking. Another luxury
is knowing your family so intimately. Having
them for more than a year, having them for those
years is such a luxury. How intimate and close
you work with your staff team, I think, is so
great. I love that. And the creativity is I can
see that you're super creative as well and you
like to... come up with solutions and stuff and
it's always that isn't it you're always thinking
of like how can I've got this tricky topic or
I've got this tricky thing that I've got to teach
like how can I make that motivating and I really
enjoy that part of it too I think yeah they're
not fighting fires because that sounds like a
negative but this like you said the solutions
like we're building it from the ground and it's
whether it whether it works because or not is
kind of on us we're laying the foundations for
this like you said it might be around forever
it might be a whole new style and actually I'm
really proud of the strong foundations we've
built with it because I've spoken worked with
other colleagues who are just constantly fighting
fires they've lost staff their emotional well
-being is not and actually we're we're thriving
in it and we can see we had Ofsted in last week
and they although they It's still at that tricky
point, isn't it, with Ofsted, where they're not
quite sure how they're... They don't even know
what they're doing. No, when they rang, they
said, what should we wear if we're coming into
the base? And so I thought, oh, we'll be fine.
Yeah. even i gave them a whistle stop tour they
had a focus child of one in our class and actually
they you know they knew safeguarding development
was was all happening in the room and i'm just
really proud of the and you should be that we've
built and it's it's definitely been a team not
even just the team in the base but the team it's
a small school and it's had a lot of change everybody
there is just respectful wanting to learn enthusiastic
i mean not all the time and obviously there's
been tricky parts but when you mentioned inclusion
and i don't necessarily even think of them being
the ticking off that they've been into the classroom
as the inclusion they are across the school i
mean like i said it's not purpose built it's
safe we've made it safe our poor caretaker hates
to see me come in they are welcome everybody
knows them across the school They can move around
safely. I don't feel like I've got to have hold
of 12 hands. The children know them. They belong
to the school. Inclusion isn't about including
them in everything, including them in lessons.
It wouldn't be fair. That isn't inclusion at
all. It's actually like putting them in high
anxiety state and that's no good for anybody.
But having them belong as part of the building,
as part of the school, to be seen and heard,
to have their parents belong, to have them feel
invited if they want to. Yeah. That's inclusion.
That is it. That's exactly it. Yeah, I think
the amount of times I've cried watching it. We
had some that wanted to join in with the school
play, so they went and joined in with the school
play. School discos, all the school trips. It's
just so nice. And working with the staff, if
I say, can we join on this? Can we tag it? We
just get to go across the whole school and everyone's
like, yeah, come on, join in. And the parents
are amazing. I speak to them more than some of
my own family members. It's true. they'll come
on the trips they'll do what they they want their
children to thrive too and it's just so nice
it's such a positive thinking about where they
would be if they had been in mainstream compared
to this is I just love it so yeah it's interesting
isn't it because so often there's still this
idea of special provision of it being kind of
an institution institutionalized that Some parents
and teachers and SENCOs try so hard to keep the
children in mainstream because they don't want
to give up on them is a phrase I hear so often.
And I find that really fascinating because I
think every child would thrive in such a bespoke
environment that adapts literally to them. Special
education needs or not. I just think every child
would thrive in that situation. It's why homeschoolers
do so well because... It is built on their interests.
It's built on their style of learning and all
of that. I just think, no, special education
is a luxury. And we're so lucky to be able to
choose that as a career and as a path because...
It does give that freedom to meet every child's
needs where they're at that you can't do when
you've got 30. You couldn't possibly. You could
be the best teacher in the world and you've got
30 faces in front of you. You couldn't possibly
make them all feel seen and heard and needs met
in that moment. It's not possible. But you can
in special education. And it's so fulfilling
as a teacher to have that impact. Is there anything
that you miss, though, from mainstream? Because
it is very different. It is, but I don't think
I saw it as big of a deal as other people saw
it. But then I do it with most things. I'm like,
oh, I'll just give it a go. I'll give it a try.
It's the worst that can happen, right? Well,
exactly. I thought it's, yeah, why not have a
change? Why not try something new? But I think
the thing I do miss, I was worried I'd miss colleagues
and I'd be isolated. Like I said, the staff,
I absolutely love them and they put up with me
knocking on the door all the time. And I do think
the thing that goes round and round in my head
is that assessment. I think that when you become
a teacher, it's so ingrained in you. You must
assess, you must have comparison, you must have
next step. When I was finding that actually to
anybody that would listen, I could reel off everything
the child could do, everything that I think in
my head they're working for. I could reel it
all off but obviously if I wasn't in that day
who am I going to reel it off to so having that
a bit more a bit more of a rigid scaffold which
actually in reality I don't like yeah this is
why it suits me so well you feel like you should
have that yeah I kept waiting I was like okay
the local authority are going to come around
and check we've been here a month they'll come
around with their clipboard tell us to be doing
xyz they came nodded left Ofsted K nodded that.
So I think the thing I miss the most is maybe
having like a big, a big brother telling me what
to do kind of thing. Yeah. Because you're the
pioneer in there. Yeah. But I don't, I think
because it's going well and because of our comp
and the way the relationships I have with staff,
I'm not missing it. And actually we've at the
moment, we're kind of working on like five or
six different ways of assessing, but they are,
but they are so different. I have, I don't feel
it's right to. just because one communication
speech for example just because one um is a really
good communicator using words one is like a gestalt
stage three speaker and one is um non -speaking
i don't it's i could have created my own scale
but actually i'm not going to say they're on
stage one right if i do xyz they're going to
be here yeah it's very ableist isn't it yeah
yeah and you almost i would need I was trying
to make 12 different ways to assess or I was
bringing welcome. I was any kind of way. And
so I kind of just settled on all the little ways
we're assessing. I'm trying not to try to put
them all into one group because they're not going
to have the same outcomes. Exactly. And ultimately,
like the targets are the speech and language
targets or the targets are their individual educational
plan or their educational health care targets.
you don't actually need any more targets than
that. Like that already is the priority and it's
trying to get your head into that mindset, isn't
it? Of like my only legal requirement is to meet
the EHCP. Like that is it. Which can be interesting.
Well, yeah, that's another thing. Do use your
reviews wisely in that first year of having a
job. Often you have to like rewrite the whole
thing. Yeah, I've had some awful targets on our
previous ones, like eye contact and all sorts.
So yeah, sometimes you have to like... we do
it all but once you're happy with like what you're
working with then yeah that is the target isn't
it so you know that that is what matters and
that is so beautiful as well for those people
that are listening to this mainstream teachers
because we do have a few and thinking oh this
sounds interesting I'm thinking about making
a shift what would be your advice to them one
when they're thinking about whether they want
to make the shift but then also people maybe
that are also in where you were a couple of years
ago starting this new thing or last year starting
this new thing what is what's your advice for
those people too I suppose there's two groups
there I would well I did it a little bit at the
beginning before we had any children but I wish
I did more of it just go and visit where you
can, because just because you've seen one base
provision doesn't mean you've seen them. Just
because you've been to one specialist school
doesn't mean you've seen. And I think the more
I saw, the more people I networked with, the
more I, not even for me knowing what to do, because
I did, I know what to do. We're teachers, we're
trained, we're caring people. We know how to
meet the needs of children. We know how to find
out how to meet the needs of children. But I
think for my own peace of mind. seeing other
people and seeing actually that we've they've
all made their own way and it's okay to be flexible
in that way I has really benefited me and I think
um just getting to go and see them because you
think they don't exist you think they're special
or like exclusive and hidden but like you've
you're one I'm one they're popping up they're
popping up everywhere I don't think they're going
to go anywhere no Definitely not. That's why
I started my account, actually, because they
did feel so exclusive and hidden and they were
all behind a locked door because of the children's
safety. And we were doing such gorgeous work.
And I love my job so much. We're really experts
at what we do and my team are. And I just wanted
to celebrate that, honestly, like I wanted other
people to see it. And just because of the nature
and anxiety of my children. we weren't able to
do that as well as I wanted to so that is why
I started this I just wanted to shout out like
we aren't an institution this is love like this
is teaching at its absolute highest quality best
level teaching like this is it like learn from
us almost like we're experts that's kind of like
what my account was about and I'm really pleased
that it's coming across the right people like
yourself of like inspiring other creators because
it's not for everybody and I respect it if it's
not for you that's absolutely fine but if you
have got that kind of creative inkling that desire
for send you're seeing these send kids in mainstream
and something in your gut is telling you that
you kind of want to do something a little bit
more creative a little bit out there test the
waters a little bit then yeah go and see your
local specialist provisions your local provisions
talk to your head teacher about possibly starting
a resource space and give it a go because genuinely
what is the worst that could happen it could
be the best decision you've ever made yeah and
I think the gaining that experience as well it's
not even because I've I always found it not not
easy at all but I found it natural to respond
to specific needs of children or children that
perhaps demonstrated more need in the classroom
or anywhere than any I found that it just naturally
was a part of my role and that's the big fear
isn't it that's the fear of like I won't know
what to do with them like I won't know what to
do with behaviors actually I don't feel like
that's the hardest bit of the job at all because
I think as soon as you've got an established
good relationship relationship with them you
will know what to do anyway your body will do
it and and you'll have you know certain training
and occupational therapists will support you
and speech language therapists will support you
and your team will support you in order to meet
those needs so I don't feel like that's the hardest
bit to get your head around you know what is
the hardest bit actually you know mine is advocating
I find it like the burnout doesn't come from
behaviors it doesn't come from my staff team
it doesn't come from absences it comes from emotional
turmoil of like having to constantly advocate
and fight for what my children need whether that's
at school level county level government level
I feel like that's that's the hardest bit about
the job is loving these kids so deeply and seeing
what needs to happen and not having full like
capacity to do that whether it's like high -tech
AAC devices or certain training for your team
or a bigger classroom or certain resources you
need or whatever it is it's really hard to like
sit with that and accept that and I find that's
where my burnout comes from yeah I think it because
you are just always thinking about it and it's
like a it's similar you know when you have a
friend that you're worried about it's a similar
thing you thought what can I do and especially
when you see the parents and you know that it'd
be so easy if money didn't exist or it'd be so
easy if they just had this and I remember in
my interview the send lead from the mat one of
the things she said was we're looking for somebody
who will advocate for these children and I think
that stuck with me and that whenever I feel even
even in the early days when we were being allowed
and getting used and the children were getting
used to being across the school the school getting
used to being us and I just would always remember
no that's my role that's I think I from because
similar, like self -consciously, I don't want
to be, I don't want to be making a fuss. Yeah,
you don't want to be that guy. Yeah. That is
constantly walking around asking for favors or
saying, oh, sorry. I wanted to make sure that
I wasn't apologizing for being here. These are
children, they deserve to be in school. And that
really helped at the beginning that knowing that
I was on that low level, obviously not necessarily
on the bigger levels, there's the SENCO and all
the other team. On the low levels, advocating
for them across the school was something I've
had to force myself to do a bit at the beginning
be that person that doesn't that just says the
children need this and then without a sorry without
a yeah well this is how we can join like you
might not have considered it but actually we
can join because we can do it this way or whatever
yeah and the school will be better off for that
the school will be better off more inclusive
better with their all their children because
you are part of it because you're advocating
That will then go in and they'll think, oh, we
could probably also do that with these kids too.
Well, that's easier for everybody. You know,
it's those things. Yeah. And just seeing how,
obviously it is a lot of firsts because it's
all new. Some school staff have been at schools
forever. But it was easy to, I didn't feel like
I was up against anybody because I could see
that when you're working with the children that
are in my base, it's, you know, the behaviours
can be loud. the like you said the relationships
aren't always there at the beginning so you don't
quite know what the reactions are going to be
so it's not I don't want to say fear feel sounds
dramatic but it is a bit oh I don't want to interrupt
her I don't want to try and start because who
knows what will happen it might be loud and it
might be big but I think like when staff comment
they're like Erin you're always so calm you just
it's absolute chaos it just washes over you and
I think You have to be the calm. Like now, the
routines are embedded. Lunchtime's really easy,
break, well, most of the time easy. The staff
know the children so well and it has taken that
time. But if you, the differences, I'm just,
I'm so glad that I wasn't trying to like hide
them away or make life easy for anybody. It was
just like, no, this is what it is. And I guess
when I knew I was talking to you, I was thinking
about it, I was like, maybe I did model it well
enough because actually there's... knowing this
what it was like at the beginning with even staff
that maybe like just midday or just um the relationships
they have with the children now they're even
come and tell me things they've noticed that's
new and so it's really hard to advocate like
obviously yours is much bigger thinking about
working on like local authorities and funding
and but just from the low level can be hard but
I think in a different setting maybe it would
have been a really hard job for me and that burnout
that like dread of having to have those discussions
all the time but luckily yeah some people that
is the reality and I guess that's really important
then to nurture those relationships invite them
in support them to understand because it doesn't
come from hate it almost comes from ignorance
like not understanding not really knowing what
it is you do or why you do it not understanding
why the children are making noises or doing these
behaviors or whatever so I guess it comes down
to like training the people above you sometimes
it's like getting them to know and love the children
because then they'll be more tolerant more understanding
and and won't question why something's happening
because they'll know they'll see very clearly
that what you're doing and yeah I'm constantly
inviting them in saying they've just done this
and it's like the smallest thing and like in
their eyes but I just run in I'm like they've
just chosen something like out of two like that's
so exciting come and celebrate them because I
want them to know that that's a really big deal
that's just as big a deal as somebody writing
for the first time or somebody you know whatever
you know it's big for us and I'm and by celebrating
those things like loud and proud I guess it teaches
the whole school what we're about and that we
are making progress even though it looks different
I guess I do love my job which I think is very
clear through my social media and it's so lovely
to talk to somebody else another teacher who
is so passionate about it too yeah I think if
you are listening to this and thinking like I've
always wondered if I could do it I really I really
advise you to just like Just have a little look
at what jobs are out there because we need people
that are passionate and loving and caring and
new. You know, it's great that you're new because
it comes with fresh ideas. It comes with different
experience. It comes with, oh, I love getting
a new teaching assistant because, yes, they might
not have the official training, but actually
sometimes it just comes with fresh ideas. By
them questioning me why makes me think, yeah,
why do we do that? And sometimes my answer is,
oh, because of this. And sometimes it's, yeah,
why do we do that? Maybe we need to change that
up because actually we've gotten a little bit
stuck there, you know, and it's great to have
those fresh ideas and new ideas. So don't think
that, well, I've never had done, had at least
an experience or whatever, because actually sometimes
that's a good thing. Sometimes it's nice to just
start from fresh without expectations. It means
that you just. work with the children that you're
seeing in the moment without this like preconceived
idea of like oh this worked for that child so
I'm going to do this and I'm going to keep doing
it until it works kind of thing like no you're
actually just reading the room moment by moment
child by child I think there's something really
lovely about that isn't that it's really special
like you said you're not and there's nobody above
you expecting you to have or asking why these
things haven't done it's just accepting that
actually the children are having their needs
met and I think another thing I love about it
is how much it's allowed me to grow and learn
because particularly in our bases it's not just
the day -to -day on the ground I've had to learn
so much to do with outside services I'm constantly
asking our Senko questions or in our meetings.
And then our head wanted me to do my MPQing Senko
training. And I'm doing that now. And I just,
these are all things I'd thought about before.
And oh, maybe I will, maybe I'm not. And it's
just kind of all naturally occurred. you know
I'm benefiting the children and I myself I'm
learning so much it's just so interesting on
a Friday feeling fulfilled you don't have the
Sunday scares on a Sunday like that honestly
is the dream and unfortunately really rare in
teaching so I feel like you're doing something
right and it might not be sent provision for
everybody but I feel like you've found your thing
right yeah which feels which is special if people
are listening to this and have more questions
for you that we may not have got to where can
they Is it okay that they reach out to you and
how can they do that? Yeah, I have an Instagram
and has some of my yoga stuff if you scroll down
far enough. But it's Exhale with Erin. Amazing.
Exhale with Erin is also so relevant for STEM
teaching, I feel. No, just breathe through it
sometimes. Thank you so much, Erin, for joining.
It's been such a joy to share the love on special
education and it's really lovely to hear you
speak so passionately. um about your job and
teaching and your class and your children and
your team and your school as well and I just
hope that that uh continues for you in that really
positive trajectory because it just sounds wonderful
thank you very much