Educating Greater Manchester

[Rhubarbginisnotasin]

What an absolute mixed bag of tricks emotionally.

I watched this and loved it. But was sobbing at the end.

Watched this on catch up last night. It was good, I thought. I used to live near Manchester and know Salford. But why is it called Educating Greater Manchester and not just Educating Salford? Salford is a city (and LEA) in its own right. Seems strange.

Because all the southerners know that Manchester is the only place to exist in the frozen wilds beyond the north of Birmingham...

I was crying after ten minutes and reminiscing about going back into teaching!

I though Jack was a lovely lad. His mum must be very proud.

I have a grandson the same age as Rani. He also come from a very similar cultural background and we live with the thought in our minds that one day we may have to 'run'. I also have friends here who have had to run away from Syria and I know the stories are very real. I felt so sad for Rani's dad when he was being asked if Rani could go to Jacks for tea and he couldnt quite believe he was being invited just because.

As for Jack? We need more Jacks in the world full stop. He's gorgeous, a kind soul, a thinker. Everyone needs a Jack in their life.

The older Kurdish lad was in my opinion way older than he was said to be but I guess thats another story altogether. And I thought it very interesting that he hesitated before approaching the young lad who'd called him Osama and only decided to do so once he realised he'd lose face if he didnt. I wonder how much of an influence the cameras were on him? Oh and that reminds me about the bit where the kids wrote on the van and Rani and Jack didnt own up - all the while forgetting they'd be found out when the programme went to air.

The Polish girl was in a very difficult situation in that she does come from a country where there is no diversity and I only hope that exposure to diversity helps her because you could tell she really was struggling. Day to day life must be like walking in a minefield. She probably doesn't know when she's going to get it wrong next. But I do think the exposure she's had to non-diversity is going to make things more difficult - I suspect that at the age she's at her views will be well formed. That she meant no harm at all when she said 'you are like terrorist' was obvious. She was saying 'you were being treated like a terrorist' but sadly because of circumstances the Kurdish lad didnt hear that.

The staff were amazing. Very down to earth and nothing like the lot one of mine teaches with, well not at school anyway, but I have seen them being very different out of school. One thing though - the teacher who buddied Rani with the Kurdish lad either hadn't heard about how Kurds are looked upon and treated in Syria by Syrians, or she really did believe that the two of them now being in the same boat would help and all the other stuff would be put aside.

Bonfireheart - go for it!!!!!

I haven't forgotten the children who were at Manchester Arena but the truth is I just don't know what to say.

We live in an awful world.

The kids in the Manchester attack - the realisation dawns on you that the current generation is growing up in a world very different to the one I did, suicide bombings and mass knife attacks :/ Hope they get the support that they need.

Ive just caught up with episode 2 and I cant believe what I was seeing.

Why @Gindingaling? Bereavement and teen pregnancy happen in most run of the mill secondary's as do very stroppy hormonal girls!

Im shocked. Thats all. Its just so very alien to me. Yes, you read about it. You now about it. But to see it, its awful.

You now about it.

You know about it.

A really good ending. The episode was harrowing.

Sometimes I think it's good when normal schools are shown and the things we have hi deal with as teachers and pastoral staff.
We have had to support and deal with some very sad bereavements. We currently have two girls expecting.
You are much more than a person who facilitates learning. This week I have helped a child get underwear as her mother has died and she's embarrassed with no bra (she is a large girl) , write a step by step guide to removing lice where the poor girls head was moving (why it's important to wash sheets) she has also lost her mother.
A lad who has such bad painful skin caused by stress as the only person who talks to him in his family now has dementia.
I could go on. It's very sad.

wannabe. Tragic

Wannabe, I have a daughter who we trained as a teacher in the UK though she now teaches here at home. We know she must have come across very sad things in the Uk and Im sure she also comes across sad things here - just a different kind of sad apart from the bereavement. Its interesting that she's said the if she ever lived in the Uk again the kind of school she'd work in is what we saw on TV last night.

And Its just struck me that I have way more exposure to everything that went on in the first episode than I do to what was shown in this one which is probably why this episode shocked me so much.

Im stunned by what I saw, for eg someone going to a house and getting a pupil out of bed, but the way the girls turned things around with the help of the staff and got their GCSE's was just wonderful.

I dont even know what to say about the children you've told us about but Ive been reminded about a very poor girl I was at primary school with more than 50 years ago. She came to school one day wearing odd shoes. It was all she had. After lunch our teacher came in with a pair of red shoes just like Dorothy wore and said they were too small for her and someone could have them. Anyway all the girls were able to enter a raffle for the shoes and we were so excited we all got a ticket even though they'd only have fitted about 5 of us. Of course the girl won and it just struck me that something had been 'sorted' and only her name must have been on the tickets inside the hat. She was so happy and we were happy for her but I can honestly say it wasn't because she now had a pair of shoes to wear - it was that she had shiny red Dorothy shoes. I don't know if that would be allowed nowadays but back then it was, just the same way it was the really poor children who were always the milk monitors - it was the teachers way of making sure they got extra milk. Again, they did what they could.

I hope the children you've told us about go on to happier days . xxxx

Thanks @titchy and @Gindingaling. We actually do have raffles at Christmas and Easter for a voucher and eggs :) that are donated by staff. We target certain children :)

I wouldn't change my job for the world but it does make me sad eg lad having no card or present on his birthday as mother deemed his behaviour was too bad. He is autistic :( I have to hold my tongue regularly.