Thirteen Years Well Spent

Every story is part of the picture, and this one gives the perspective of lived SEND experience. (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). Rebecca offers important insights into the different ways school both enabled and disabled her. She describes bullying and some rocketing successes! 

This is the first of our educator episodes. The aim is that every five episodes an educator and I chat about the previous guests stories, bringing our perspectives, experiences and actions. In this episode Christian and I notice the incredible variation in the five stories so far. We reflect on the connection, ATAR, competition and life skills. And, I reveal a hatchling plan, seeking feedback from you whether you are in education or not.

Liam thought his years in school based education were well spent, but not because he got good grades, because he had great friends that he still regularly goes camping with. Liam has some great ideas for how existing subjects like English and Maths could be re-mastered towards skills that are more relevant for life. 

Clair does not think her years at school were well spent. She sees herself as not cut out for school, but did get a lot in terms of social interactions and sport achievements. Clair joins other guests in suggesting that schools teach more life maths particularly in terms of shopping, counting back change, buying houses and tax. While Clair did not feel successful at school, she is proud to be a business owner now.

Jonathan tells us about the choices he made, quite deliberately, to either get good grades or put his energy into being social. He talks about the importance of working at his level of competence and how grateful he was when teachers were able to do this effectively. Jonathan was very specific and explicit that the real point of school is to prepare young people for the world after school. Like Bella he would like to send the message that ATAR results do not define you, so it would be great if there was less pressure around this.

Grace tells us about the importance of listening and watching the people in our rooms so we can respond well to them as individual humans. While she talks about content levels, it is being seen and cared for that made the difference. She describes gentle communication and 'nudges', suggesting that some of these communications skills as well as some more general financial and political life skills could be taught in secondary schools.

Bella tells us about the value of social skills and practical knowledge like cooking. She discusses struggles with the school system, feeling overwhelmed by tasks and the pressure to compare oneself to peers. Bella emphasizes the importance of self-discovery and happiness, suggesting schools focus on personal growth rather than comparison. She advocates for more awareness and support for neurodivergent individuals in education. Bella looks forward to exploring different paths and finding what brings her happiness in the future.