Unstoppable!

These school orienteering events we have been supporting yesterday and today reminded me of why I first went in to teaching in the seventies.  So good to see children enjoying being out of doors and not bothered about the mud; running, encouraging and laughing together; solving problems; learning about the sport, themselves; coping with the feelings of  'coming last'. 

The latter was tough to manage as always and it took me back through the years to a particularly problematic teenager in one of my classes who rubbished everything she did and would have the occasional 'tear it up' episode.  For some reason (nothing to do with me) she went through a brighter patch and worked really hard.  On the quiet I sent home one of my '.........has done really well at school in ..........' postcards.  A couple of days later she came in to the classroom early and I quietly asked, 'Did your mum and dad get a postcard?'  Just a hint of a smile.  What did they say? I asked.  The old familiar defensive face reappeared and she said, 'My dad said haven't they got better things to spend their money on'........