Help & Advice
Here you will find little gems that we have developed, experienced or simply come across over the years that may be helpful to you. If you need some specific advice then please get in touch to arrange a session. You may find that just one hour will answer questions where you didn't know there were any, give a perspective not considered, reassure a particular situation, or just point you in the right direction when you were lost. Alison has 32 years as a parent, teacher and in leadership, so is able to advise in all capacities.
Problems in the classroom
Joe was developing a habit for getting detention but couldn't understand why. He spoke to certain teachers to explain he couldn't understand something, they got angry and then handed out a detention. Alison explained to Joe that not all staff are trained for every situation, and some may interpret the way he was asking as a challenge to cause trouble. It was basically a misunderstanding. She advised Joe to rephrase any query in such a way as to avoid misunderstanding and percieved confrontation. This had immediate impact as he was not perceived as making trouble, just needing some help, and resulted in far fewer detentions.
Hold up a mirror to yourself
I am always asking children and young people to consider their own behaviour. In doing this, I am a big advocate of being reflective. This is not a practice taken to easily by everyone, but I am a big believer in it being a skill that can be taught to people of all ages.
Social stories and analogies can be really useful to bring to life, often through visual representations, concepts, in order to stimulate discussion and development. This infographic shows the person at the centre. The coloured circles represent all the people we potentially come into contact with each day. This analogy is simple, what we radiate out is reflected back on us, but often in more ways than we think. Try to put good things out in the world and you are more likely to receive positive interactions back.
In these times when Social Media can also positively and negatively magnify our lives, nothing is straightforward, and we need to always have that lens handy to help us stay on the right track.