I love teachers. Sure, there are some who are just going through the motions, no interest in their job or the children they teach, but there are loads out there who are incredibly passionate, caring and influential too. There are teachers who dont just routinely go through the set syllabus, but who look beyond it, who try to connect with their pupils, who bring a creative approach to education. (And I think its such a shame that the system in the main doesnt support this, that it tries to limit the scope for teaching individuality, to get every teacher working in the exact same robotic way.) There should be prizes and awards for teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty (pun intended -- youll know what I mean when you read on!) and if there were, Id be sending one on this very moment to an amazing teacher in Scotland called Holly, who sent me the following email today: Just an email to say thank you! :-) Im a primary teacher, currently teaching Primary 5, and I really struggle with getting the boys in my class motivated to read. Theyre all so into playing games like Call of Duty and Halo that books just dont give them the same thrill. Ive been asking them for months to tell me something they would actually be interested in reading and Ill get it for them, but all I normally get is blank, sullen stares. Finally, I get a straight answer from one of them - Miss, we want something as violent and bloody as Call of Duty. Right ok, so Im thinking, Im thinking...Im thinking back to my gore-obsessed early teenage years when I was hooked on your books. I binge-read your Vampire Saga and got every new Demonata book every year they came out. I figured it was worth a go with my boys and they ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM! Theyve gone point-blank refusing to read the nonsense the curriculum is making me give them, to begging me to let them read for just another few minutes because they absolutely must finish this chapter! Ive started them on the Demonata books, because theyre the goriest, but they were all so excited to hear that you have other series as well! Seriously, thank you so much for providing books that my boys are enjoying reading and that challenge them enough to keep me happy too! Your books always keep them engaged, are never patronising and are so easy to build literacy activities around. So thank you :-)
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 09:54:11 +0000