{"id":181,"date":"2021-06-25T09:06:21","date_gmt":"2021-06-25T08:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.minchacademy.net\/headteacher\/?p=181"},"modified":"2022-01-20T09:17:55","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T09:17:55","slug":"something-in-the-ether","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.minchacademy.net\/headteacher\/2021\/06\/25\/something-in-the-ether\/","title":{"rendered":"Something in the ether"},"content":{"rendered":"

How often have I said how much I love working in this school? As I say in my Welcome Message on the website, \u2018it is because something <\/span>really quite special exists in the ether in and around this village and the school can\u2019t help but be swept up in it.\u2019 It is a warm environment and a creative one. Perhaps it is this creativity; this constant circulation of ideas, new thinking and beautiful works; the conviction that every day is a new day; that everyone is a valued and unique individual and that what they create is equally of value and unique to them: perhaps this is what makes my\/ our time in this school and in this community special.<\/span><\/p>\n

On my desk right now is an extraordinary piece of writing from one of my Year 6 girls- it is utterly original, intriguing and far more sophisticated than you would imagine possible from a primary age child. I have had it on my desk for three days and show it to anyone who comes my way, not by way of showing off (I take no credit for work like this) but by way of celebration- that I get to work with such creative, inspiring children.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below are two poems, the first \u2018Silence\u2019 published by a Year 6 pupil, in their Learning Journal; the second \u2018Our Galaxy\u2019 published recently in \u2018Live Canon Children\u2019s Anthology 2021.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Silence<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was silence in that forest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only elephants, backs iced with red dust and warm rain,<\/span><\/p>\n

Their heads bowed, ears curled like crinkled paper.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only leaves, broad and waxy, bees like red-and-black beads,<\/span><\/p>\n

Hovering groggily in the humidity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only wild cows, hair thick and wiry, burnt with an unceasing sun.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only birds with bent wings, green and yellow, feathers smoothed with existence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only rivers, hushed by leaves clogging muddied banks, pebbles riddled with rusted minerals.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There was silence in that forest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or maybe it was too loud, and we don\u2019t listen to the earth\u2019s deep noises.<\/span><\/p>\n

This poem came from RE work on Hinduism and in particular karma. This pupil was inspired to find out more and came across all the rich symbolism in the Hindu religion; which in turn inspired the poem. Please note the references to:- \u2018forests\u2019 seen by Hindus as the primary source of life and fertility; \u2018elephants\u2019 symbolic of royalty and democracy; \u2018bees\u2019 symbolic of Vishnu, Krishna and Indra; \u2018cows\u2019 held as sacred for their gentle nature and strength; birds symbolising all that is wholesome and free and beautiful; the \u2018river\u2019 as cleansing and symbolic of life.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Our Galaxy<\/strong><\/p>\n

The earth<\/span><\/p>\n

A stranded society<\/span><\/p>\n

A queenless hive<\/span><\/p>\n

A lost explorer<\/span><\/p>\n

A life protector<\/span><\/p>\n

And opportunity giver<\/span><\/p>\n

An unfinished masterpiece.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The moon<\/span><\/p>\n

An infinite night light<\/span><\/p>\n

The earth\u2019s follower<\/span><\/p>\n

The sun\u2019s substitution<\/span><\/p>\n

The lieutenant of stars<\/span><\/p>\n

A search of purpose<\/span><\/p>\n

A destination<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Polaris (north star)<\/span><\/p>\n

A diamond in an endless treasure chest<\/span><\/p>\n

A beacon of hope shining through the darkness<\/span><\/p>\n

A guide for those who are lost<\/span><\/p>\n

A monument of awe-inspiring beauty<\/span><\/p>\n

A splash of glitter on an empty canvas<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The sun<\/span><\/p>\n

A start and finish line<\/span><\/p>\n

Creator of life<\/span><\/p>\n

A generator of light<\/span><\/p>\n

A puppet master in an endless show<\/span><\/p>\n

A core of all<\/span><\/p>\n

A leader of greatness.<\/span><\/p>\n

This poem was inspired by learning about the solar system and some star gazing during lockdown.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The word I keep repeating\/ can\u2019t help repeating is the word \u2018inspiring.\u2019 How could my job\/ our job ever be boring; ever reach a conclusion, ever feel lacking when this is the kind of reward we receive day in day out. If any of you are considering a change of career, can I heartily recommend a switch to teaching. And please don\u2019t think these two excellent poems are somehow the exception, the exceptional. While poetry may be one of my \u2018things,\u2019 I am\/ we are inspired by all our children, bar none, and by all their creativity. We are surrounded by it and awash with it.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How often have I said how much I love working in this school? As I say in my Welcome Message on the website, \u2018it is because something really quite special exists in the ether in and around this village and the school can\u2019t help but be swept up in it.\u2019 It is a warm environment … Continue reading “Something in the ether”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.minchacademy.net\/headteacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.minchacademy.net\/headteacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.minchacademy.net\/headteacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.minchacademy.net\/headteacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.minchacademy.net\/headteacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.minchacademy.net\/headteacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.minchacademy.net\/headteacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.minchacademy.net\/headteacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.minchacademy.net\/headteacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}