Why butterflies?
As many of you know, I love butterflies and some of you have asked me why. The answer is a little sickly and emotional for some, so if you are not into touchy-feely then read no further.
When I was younger I came across the quote in the header and it hit me like a 3 tonne truck – we need change and change is a good thing. So often, change can be seen as a negative and something that happens to us and not something that we are in charge of, but we are. We are change-makers.
Educators are agents of change in our classroom. At the beginning of September, our new children enter rather like little caterpillars who are keen to grow (at least most are). Instead of consuming vast amounts of food like the ‘Hungry Caterpillar’ did in Eric Carle’s book, the children we teach consume vast amounts of knowledge and develop new skills over the course of the year. It is our job as educators to feed them with the knowledge and skills they need so that they are ready for the next step of their journey – whether that be Reception to Year 1, Primary to Secondary or into Further Education.
On the final day of each academic year, I wear a butterfly skirt that I made, to celebrate the fact that the children I have taught are now butterflies who are flying off to pastures new. They have consumed the knowledge and skills required and are equipped to fly on. The butterflies on the walls of my classroom remind me of the children I have taught and the beauty of learning.
On my back I even have a butterfly tattoo surrounded by stars, forget-me-nots and stardust. I did warn you this post would be a little sickly, but now you know why I love butterflies so much!
