Opportunities
There are many great sources of inspiration in the modern world that can be used to inspire our teaching one recently successful book during “Lockdown” and the whole COVID pandemic was :
The boy, the mole, the fox & the horse is a modern story book about a very diverse but powerful friendship and INCLUSION.
The book is not so much a story in the western European story telling tradition but somewhat akin to the style of Celtic stories that can best be represented by the serpent swallowing its own tale. A circle that can begin or end at any point. The book can be opened at any page and a lesson learned or an idea shared. The point for us as teachers who wish to make our pupils aware of the value of inclusion can see from the story how a most unlikely combination of players can work in harmony, learn from each other, support each other and include each other.
The pictures themselves carry strong messages and the few words emphasise some wonderful human thoughts and emotions. The book is not so much a story but a collection of pictures and ideas. Each could be chosen at a particular point in the term or school year to support a message about social relationships. Also referring back to the diverse nature of the group and the things that they hold in common might be an interesting way of discovering what it means to be included and how important that is!
One powerful message from the book that is relevant to all our students is Embrace Hope! In a time of confusion, rancour and tragedy, the story of the boy, mole, fox and horse offers a simple reset to the world around us. Some of the sentiments on offer may appear simple, but they are vitally important things that we can all forget or repress in times of strife. In the end, the book orbits around the notion of love. Both love for yourself and love for others. “What do you think success is?” Asks the boy. “To love,” said the mole. Individually all of these characters are weak and troubled. But once they have found each other, they are stronger and can survive anything. As the horse tells the boy: “Always remember you matter, you’re important, you’re loved and you bring to this world things that no one else can.”