What a delightful read! This collection of stories put together by Megan Daley is such a pleasure to sample. At a time when so much in the world is being found wanting, these accounts remind me that the individual has the power to change lives for the better if they work with their heart as well as knowledge and skills. In this book, the individuals are teachers.
I loved the tale of John Hazlett. A physical education teacher who created a truly inclusive PE lesson He arranged twenty-one wheelchairs for his class when Sam Morgan returned to school after surgery. Sam was fearful that the lesson she had always loved would see her sidelined. It was not so, Mr Hazlett planned a wheelchair lesson for everyone. All experienced what it was like to race, turn, throw basketballs and join in while chairbound. The lesson was exhilarating and challenging. Now Sam was part of a group that understood a little about wheelchair life. Instead of returning to lessons to be left out, Sam’s difference was embraced and made part of everyday school.
Other stories were of teachers providing a listening ear for struggling, rebellious or isolated students. Some teachers offered discreet encouragement without embarrassing anxious kids or opened a window to un-thought of future possibilities. At times, a single teacher provided the badly needed stability, missing from the chaotic life of a young person. Many stories addressed the big challenges that often face a teacher in modern Australia such as students with little or no English, students with very different cultural backgrounds and students displaced by war or disadvantage from other nations. The stories told of teachers reaching out to understand, guide, engage and support these youngsters in the critical early weeks in their new home. Each of the teachers had their own style of connecting with the kids and gaining their trust.
This book is a terrific antidote for those who feel crushed by the scale and speed of modern life. It contains 28 stories describing a wealth of individuals who changed lives for the better as they went about their daily work.
Megan Daley TEACHER, TEACHER. Publisher Affirm Press,South Melbourne