Uncork

I really enjoy listening to one particular tutor of mine when she tells about her teaching experiences.

There was a girl who the teachers had no background knowledge of, other then the fact that she was from a war-ridden country and had moved to the UK to live with her auntie and uncle. She hardly spoke or said a word at school, but one day, in an activity where the children had to write about their happiest experiences, the girl wrote a few lines.

A week later, the children were asked to write about their worst experiences. The girl wrote non-stop throughout the whole morning, and when lunch time came, she said, "I stay, I stay." Of course, the teachers were really happy for her to continue. By 2 o' clock, she had finished writing 20 pages. My tutor started reading, and when she finished, she couldn't help but cry, cried for a few days in fact.

The girl had written about her time in her country. There was a war going on. She saw her mother get shot. She watched her father get shot while he was holding her in his arms. Her sister was raped right in front of her eyes.

Of course she didn't know all the words in English to be able to express herself properly but, my tutor said, the meaning was very clear. After that, the girl slowly opened up. It was as if she had a weight on her heart, but once shared, she felt lighter. Someone else knew, she wasn't alone.

It was known that the girl didn't really speak to her auntie and uncle. It seems highly unlikely that she discussed the war with them. What would have happened if she had kept herself bottled up? She was only of primary school age, about eight, those images won't completely vanish.

I can tell you that, that girl, was saved by great practitioners. My tutor didn't say, but with being the tutor she is, I bet she had planned those activities. Planning with the intention of trying to encourage the girl, and the rest of the class, to express herself, and on seeing the success of the first activity, planned further.

I am so thankful to have such fantastic tutors. Four hours travelling time is nothing! *laugh*