Lauren Eve

📣 Mighty Mindsets is back for January! Imagine your child feeling happy and excited about their learning journey and ready to face the challenges it brings with a smile!
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In all my years as a primary school teacher, I learned
that the best way to help children build confidence
resilience and a deep love of learning is to support
them wholeheartedly in building a strong growth
mindset. I feel so strongly about empowering
children to face their learning journey with joy and
bravery and that's why I have created Mighty
Mindsets.
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A tutor group with a difference that focuses on
teaching children the value of making mistakes,
embracing challenges and supports them in
developing their emotional literacy.
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Wednesdays 4pm - 5pm
Southend, near the High Street
Starting after Christmas
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Book your child's space on my website or send me a dm. Pay what you can spaces available.
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I love asking children this question and it can help them really dig deep into how they feel about mistakes and learning. This can be a great starting place for your child to start developing their growth mindset!

Today is World Children’s Day. It is a day that celebrates the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted on 20th November 1989. Right now, I can't think of a more appropriate article to post today. Please read it and read it again. Governments must do all they can to ensure that children survive and develop to their full potential. All children- every single one of them.

It's been a while but Thinking Friday questions are back!
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Today, ask your child not what they think peace is but what it *feels* like. Perhaps a mindful moment together might help them start to explore their thoughts. You could try some breathing exercises or take a moment to sit and enjoy some stillness before talking through your ideas.
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The language of Black children in schools is regularly policed, corrected and ridiculed by white teachers which "reinforces negative perceptions and stereotypes which are harmful to Black students." (The Runnymede Trust) Dr April Baker-Bell described this as Anti-Black Linguistic Racism. It is the demand placed up Black students to code-switch in an effort to uphold white supremacist ideals of language and communication. Children in many schools are prevented from speaking in a way that is not only natural to them but holds deep cultural, historical and political meanings. describe Black British English as "a combination of the Jamaican language Patois, West African Creole (Pidgin) White Mainstream English and Black-British vernacular."
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White teachers, before correcting a Black child's language, just ask yourself what is it you are asking them and to what end.

Today's Thinking Friday question is: do rules and punishments keep us safe?
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When given the time and space, children LOVE exploring the conception of rules and punishments because, let's face it, their lives are full of them! I also love asking kids this question because nearly every child I've ever met is an abolitionist at heart.
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(And if you're wondering how this question is linked to Black History Month then think about it in the context of which communities are disproportionately policed inside and outside of schools...)
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Article 2 states that the convention applies to all children without discrimination. However, it's important that white parents and teachers inspect how they view the concept of childhood and who they grant the privilege of remaining a child until 18 and who becomes an adult with the onset of puberty. We already know that Black children are held to a much higher standard in schools, with racist rules for hair styles, the policing of vernacular by teachers and Black Caribbean boys being 4 times more likely to be excluded than their white peers. We know, irrefutably, that all children are not being treated without discrimination within educational settings and their basic rights are not being upheld (I Heard What You Said by is ESSENTIAL reading for all white teachers regardless of how long you've been teaching or doing your anti-racist work- you are never done learning!) The remaining slides are words I wrote when the abuse of Child Q came to light but it is still absolutely valid.

These are just two of my favourite books that I share with my son throughout the year but this is the first year I have taught him about Black History Month (he's 4). These 2 books by belong on every white child's bookshelf My son has loved making connection between what he learnt from Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush and the JoJo and GranGran episode It's Time to Take a Journey (I'll be posting about my love for JoJo and GranGran later in the month). Both books are vibrant and engaging and could be used to introduce the importance of Black History to children as young as 3/4 and you could even use them with year 5 and 6 children to bring your lessons to life with stories grounded in the richness and reality of Black History.

Are you providing both windows and mirrors for all children in your home or classroom?

Language is powerful. It has the capacity to be both harmful and healing and what we model for our children really matters.

Today is the start of Black History Month and white teachers, I'd love to hear about what you're doing in your classrooms this month!

I'm going to be posting more about my teaching practice and this one one tiny thing I would do in the classroom that had a BIG impact on children's autonomy, well-being and oracy skills! I'll be posting a question every Friday and I hope you and your kids join in!