That’s a shed load of water heading towards the sea just a few yards further on.
Too many times in Hawklad’s school life, he came across an inflexible school system, setting him up to fail, blocking his path.
Two of many examples…..
He was struggling with French. The way it was taught wasn’t working for him, he was falling behind and getting really anxious. Parrot learning how to spell and read French for weekly tests. I approached the teacher to talk about this and our preference to try something different. A more visual and interactive learning App approach. An approach producing great results in some US schools for dyslexic pupils. We even offered to pay for the software. The response sadly predictable. No learning approach could be used that differed from the standard national programme. Even when I pressed on the fact that it just wasn’t working for Hawklad, it was a firm, he just has to work harder using the set learning script. In the end Hawklad was given just two options. Follow the class programme or drop the language course. So he dropped the subject, even though he really wanted to learn a language……
Computer Studies featured a significant element of learning and practicing coding. Month after month, trying to read stuff of a classroom screen then re type it. Get it slightly wrong and it errors out. A nightmare with dyslexia. Again Hawklad started to fall behind. Again the teacher was approached. This time more understanding but still inflexible. The teacher realised it wasn’t working for Hawklad and talked about in the past being able to try different things or switch out coding out for something else. But now the Teacher wasn’t allowed to do that even when the method isn’t working. He had to stick to the set curriculum. End result, Hawklad dropped the subject at the first opportunity…….
So many more examples but you get the picture. At no stage did school ever ask Hawklad what he wanted to do, what were his dreams, his big hopes, the things he was interested in. At no stage was the learning environment tailored to his needs or wishes. It was always, here is the education you must follow. What makes it worse is that this set education is ultimately dictated not by children, not by educational professionals, not by parents but by vested interests and politicians.
As a result far too many children are overlooked and forced into moulds that just won’t ever work for them. A WALL is built blocking the child from thriving, from enjoying developing, from dreaming big and for going down the path that works for them.
This has to CHANGE, that WALL has to come down.
A Dad trying to cope with the loss of his Partner and becoming a single parent. 
Is one going a bit Pinky Floydy again Dear?
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That affliction will pass 😂😂😂
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Recipe for factory and cannon fodder:
Take one young happy person, scrape off the family ties, squeeze all the originality out of it and press firmly into the moulds provided, in summer you can stew it in a prefab classroom that also helps to freeze it in winter, but in the end it has to be grilled with exam questions and always, always slather with an uncomfortable dressing!
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I saw a photograph of a classroom filled with scaffolding and supports with children trying to work there. A conservative mp described that as a sign of investment……
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We are everything to each other and nothing to the few, but that’s fine, for we hold each other in our thoughts.
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I hope that one day they will realize that the system isn’t working for all the kids. Not fair to get an equal opportunity
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It’s such a waste. It has to change.
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Very much so. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
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🤍
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❤️
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Whilst the message in this post is so valid it is good to see that you can write it in the past now that you both don’t have to live it
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He is kinda facing new challenges to the way forward. It’s a push for him but not as bad thankfully
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Understood
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What 8s happening with Hawklad’s university aspirations? Was he accepted as a 1st year student?
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Still trying to fix that. It’s a struggle, but not unexpected
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High time that schools considered what they are really supposed to be doing, and that is putting children’s needs first…
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I think the would if the government changed approach and started to trust teachers to teach in the way they thinks best suits the pupils in their class.
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They need to remember that pupils and teachers are human, and cannot be expected to blindly follow all the rules…
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Soon the government will be asking why there are so many dysfunctional young people. No imagination, no empathy. How does one fight through or over that wall? It seems to me that Hawklad has taught himself in large part, with your strong support. Maybe young people like him should get into government positions, Possible?
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This is so very frustrating, Gary. Not everyone fits into the same mould, even neurotypical children, so why do we insist on trying to cram kids through the same mould. It is so frustrating. I am sorry the schools failed Hawklad. But look at him now, he still finished and persevered!
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How do we bring about the change needed for our children? The ones who learn differently and has their potential blocked. We’re still fighting here for Willie and now a great-granddaughter struggling to learn and needs testing. We are their advocates, but systems are so hard to fight.
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I am so sorry that you have a Government right now who are more interested in what’s in people’s pants, then they’re minds. Labor doesn’t seem to be doing any better at it =/
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