I love this time of year as the leaves on the trees change to beautiful oranges, reds, browns, and yellows. Stunning picturesque scenery and beautiful sunshine with a coolness in the air are my favourite days.
To me, Autumn also means ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and I love watching the dancing. Watching a novice become an exceptional dancer is exciting. I am always in awe of the contestants as they get better and better each week.
This year I am amazed at Chris McCausland and Diane Buswell. Chris is blind and has been so since the age of 22. He has Retinitis Pigmentosa which both his mum and his grandmother had; he said he has been slowly going blind since he was born, but it was so gradual, he did not really notice it happening. Chris graduated from university and worked as a web developer, but his eyesight deteriorated, and so he worked in sales. He then became a stand-up comedian (and he is really funny). He is also known as Rudi on ‘Me Too!’ on CBeebies.
In Strictly Come Dancing, Diane has been partnered with Chris and is teaching him to dance. How are they doing this? It is truly amazing.
We talk to the children in schools about being resilient; we tell them to never give up and to always try their best. We should all get the children to watch Chris dance and think about the obstacles he has faced each week. He doesn’t give up and, wow, the results are amazing.
As teachers we are trying to bring the best out in our pupils and that means working out the individual needs of our children and then supporting them, so they flourish and thrive. Diane is a perfect example of someone that is doing this with a vision of where she wants Chris to get to, clear expectations about how he will get there, and then kindness, empathy, and patience while they are practising. Their achievements have been phenomenal, and a lesson to us all: with the right attitude and the right teaching methods any of us can achieve whatever we want to achieve.
Reach Behaviour 