It's the little things...

Over the past year I have been on placement, attended various schools in a voluntary capacity to gain more experience and worked as a TA on supply. The wide variety of schools has enable me to reflect upon the similarities, and the differences. And one thing has stood out... it's the little things that mean a lot.

Without the seemingly tedious routines that teachers put in place, the schedules and the organisation, the school day can descend into chaos. Something as simple as guided reading can become an impossible feat if the school and class ethos is not respectful and supportive.

It is essential that children are aware of the expectations, and have bought into them. They know that they are expected to listen when others are speaking, and support that rule because they were a part of the rule making process.

But more than that, children must be treated as individuals. It is an obvious thing to say but when you have 36 children all vying for your attention it is easy to brush the seeming unimportant shouts away - which is when you miss something.

It is easy to judge when going into a school or a week - you get a snapshot that may or may not be positive. However, what is noticeable, and cannot be faked is the ethos and culture of the school. This is evident from the staff right through to the nursery children. If you get the little things right, it makes everything else easier and more achievable.