Fifi the Fox has gone viral…
Who would have known that I had such interesting days that my documentations would be going viral! Well, I am sure that it’s not actually me or what I wrote about, but the fact that I had a cuddly toy as a side-kick! We all know the power of a good hook, and I have to give all the credit to Sau Wan who introduced me to the idea of using a toy to connect with the children. I’m not really sure why the link with identity hadn’t occurred to me before because it now seems really obvious. Our EYFS classes have cub names, and I remember the August orientations of old when the EY teachers always brought their class animal down to greet the children. They would hold up the animal and ask the children to guess which class they belonged to before going together to find their new classes. I don’t think we ever (or at least I was never aware) made the most of this shared identity. Very young children are still developing the sense of self and other and how they relate to each other, so the concept of identity per se is a little mature. However, bring a physical manifestation of identity into the mix and suddenly it makes a lot more sense. I am (insert name here) and I belong to Fox class. We have a class pet called Fifi and she shares in our learning both at home and at school. Suddenly the teacher – child – parent(s) triangle takes on a new level of engagement through shared engagement and via something so simple.
We all know the importance of getting down to a child’s level both physically and metaphorically and for those of us who do not have the natural ‘Mary Poppins’ charisma (I am by no means suggesting that this a female-only character trait, I couldn’t think of a male comparison - the Pied Piper really isn’t the right tone… Kindergarten Cop?), having something like a toy or a prop is a really non-threatening way to make those initial connections with children. This week we again opened our doors to prospective students, EYFS on Tuesday and Y1-3 on Thursday. Someone had the initiative to move our (still nameless) cub from the reception area to the gallery and he/she was quite a hit once some of the children got over the fact that he/she was about the same height as them! It was something to share; feeling the different textures and the soft fur. Waya the wolf was with me on Thursday in the DVC and she proved just as much of a hit. Several of the children who initially hid behind parents’ legs came over to meet Waya when I introduced her to them. Again, something non-threatening and something relatable.
I definitely got some rather strange looks while carrying a cuddly wolf around all day, especially before explaining to the visiting parents what I was doing. I was able to explain to them that it was my way of not only connecting with the children, but also a way of connecting with our parents while they can’t visit us on site. I definitely got called ‘Such a primary school teacher!’ at one point (which I definitely took as a compliment) and had someone else confirm that they were starting to worry about me, however any comments/looks were definitely worth it when I was greeted by the excited exclamations of ‘I saw Waya with you last night!’ from some of our youngest Lions performers. I can honestly say that never before have I sat in the auditorium with a wolf on my lap and never before had such effusive greetings from small people as they arrive. We both thought the children did wonderfully and were an absolute pleasure to watch. The pleasure of spending time with Waya was not only shared by our younger children, absolutely not! Y5 LOVED her, especially 5P who tidied their tables in the hope of being the table selected to host her while we read together. 5B were definitely the ‘coolest’ but I could tell that they were really quite excited despite their cool exteriors.
I had forgotten just how much I love Y5 and the fact that they are still so child-like in their enjoyment of picture books and cuddly toys.
I can’t finish without also writing about the shared bonding of teachers over stationery (this is your moment of fame, Mr Newland). I have to admit that I was rather grateful for the super-exciting purple glue I used to stick the pictures into Fifi’s journal and had a period of reminiscence over pen selection as a work-avoidance strategy with Y5 after reading The Dot. Pencil case selection and purchase ready for a new school year was definitely the highlight of my summer, with the long-standing question – tin or pencil case? Some years it was even a tin AND a pencil case, controversial I know, but all those gel pens just wouldn’t fit into a tin. I may have to admit that this continued long after I finished school…
It’s Spotify again, and it’s Cheesy Hits. I am the one and only! Singer? If you are old enough to remember, answers on the back of a postcard please.
On that note, all that remains is to say Happy Friday!
P.S. My parents have been reading about Fifi and her escapades too. I had to explain to them that going viral is a good thing and she is not sick…
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