Teaching Practice Plans... Where to go and what to do.

Time to start thinking about putting down the pen and picking up the pointer, actually putting the ideas of teaching into practice. 

As usual, I have many ideas and have difficulty pinning them down.  It's always tricky and I know that a lack of particular focus in my studies and my life-plans and my acute descidophobia (yes, it's a real word), mean I'll flap around for a while distracting myself with new and interesting schemes to stop myself from settling too long on any one idea.  I think it stems from a fear of failure.  And perhaps a deep-seated lack of belief in myself to make the right choice.  I'm constantly second guessing myself.  Not that I'm moaning, or inviting you to pity me, I'm writing this because I'm watching myself from an outside perspective.  I know myself too well.  Feeling the flutterings of panic setting in, knowing that it is illogical, and damaging, but unable to affect it.  I find writing it down helps.  Sets the problems in stone, or at least in type.  Little manageable letters that don't squirm around like the eels of thought that invade our heads, but can be re-read, mocked, if necessary, and managed.

It is with this in mind that I find myself settling to one idea, (what's with all the butterfly metaphors?) one I know will be challenging, unsettling, unpredictable, but ultimately, most rewarding.

I am interested in running a creative writing workshop for children with either SEN or behavioural difficulties, focusing on David Almond's graphic novel-type book 'The Savage'.

 

I will try to use the workshop as writing therapy, allowing the students to release their 'inner savage' on the page.  As you can see, the style is striking, informal and messy, the writing is in the vernacular, paying no attention to spelling or grammar, which I believe will help to open up the act of writing to those students who struggle to engage in written English, encouraging them to tell their own story.

 

It really is a beautiful book, and the story is deeply moving.  A young boy, Blue, is struggling to cope.  His father has died and he is bullied at school.  In defiance of the impuissance he feels, he starts to write.  The character he creates is The Savage, a wild boy.  Blue writes about what he knows, he and his sister and Hopper the bully all make appearances in The Savage's world.  But soon The Savage crosses over into Blue's world, when he thinks that a chapter in which The Savage beats up Hopper has come true, Blue feels empowered by what he has created.  The Savage personifies the feelings he cannot express. 
 

The book tackles the issues of bereavement, bullying, abuse and has themes of love and grief, abandonment and helplessness, violence, compassion and acceptance.  I feel that David Almond writes well for young people, tackling issues they feel from a realistically childlike perspective.  Unlike his novels for young adults, The Savage is much shorter, set as a simple first person story-within-a-story presentation, that feels vvisceral, engaging and entertaining. 

I'm hoping to read the book, talk about it and invite the students to reflect on their own inner savages, what they feel like doing but can't, what they feel but can't say.  By exploring this, either as individuals or by doing a group story as an initial exercise, in the fictional world I hope to help them manifest their ideas about themselves, in drawing and writing.

I know that this is a somewhat dangerous idea.  I have experience  of working in schools and with SEN pupils.  I know how hard it is to get some students to engage with written tasks.  I also know that personal, productive writing may be very difficult for these young people to express.

There are no writing therapy books in the library, so I've ordered some online, I'll feel happier once I've read about some case studies and exercises.  Other things I need to think about include:

• Length of Workshop - talk to teachers about concentration levels and adapt accordingly.
• Varying engagement/literacy levels of students - have variety of exercises that can be adapted for different abilities.
• How much art to include - I'd like to involve more creativity.  Depends on school/time limits - I'll take their advice.
• Behaviour - as I'm thinking about doing this in a PRU behaviour may be a problem.  An engaging programme will help, but I'll also familiarise myself with school behaviour policies.

I'm looking forward to this, but I know it will be challenging.  Though I think that's why I chose it.  I need to find out much more about Therapeutic Writing, particularly with young people, and plan meticulously, allowing lots of adaptability for anything that arises on the day.  I know that I'm good at thinking on my feet, but because this hits sensitive subjects I want to be well prepared.