A thank you to teachers
For many learning begins at school, and teachers really do help to shape the lives of their pupils.
Education is one of the gifts we are offered, and in many western cultures we take this gift for granted. It’s seen as our rights as children to be educated, our rights as parents to send our children to school.
At the heart of the education system are the teachers, who can open up the minds of their pupils and show them such wonders, help them to see how the world works, and also how to change it. Wonder-keepers, explorers, magicians, teachers help children to see the world through new eyes, help children learn. And we each, being individuals, no matter how old we are, learn in different ways, at different speeds.
Some learn through movement, some through example, others just seem to soak in knowledge like sponges and retain everything, some question everything, demanding evidence, some move like butterflies from one wonder to the next, some struggle, others flow like water from task to task. All are different.
When I was young I adored books, but mostly looked at pictures. I failed to hold in my head how the letters of the alphabet held the sounds of speech, but never questioned why the ink moved around on the page. A hunger for stories made me persist in learning to read until the code was cracked and the voices from pages spoke fluently inside my head, painting pictures in my minds eye. Dyslexia.
Now I try to ensure that books I work on will, through the cleanliness of design, appeal to that child I was, give her space to breathe, so that she can find the way in to wonder, because I know how rich my life has been because I can read, and also, because I can write.
I’ve seen The Lost Words used in so many schools, across so many subjects and ranges of ability. It makes my heart sing to read the beautiful work created by young people, to see the images painted, inspired by the book. I love seeing classes of children and teaches escaping into the outdoors to discover through play and observation the beautiful, wild world around them. I love seeing so many find their rich and beautiful voices in both words and images through our book, with their teacher’s guidance.
It’s been a difficult year and a half, and teachers have carried a heavy load. You have had to take risks with your lives that non of us could have imagined a year or two ago, thanks to government policies. Work load has increased, with teaching in school and lesson prep for those at home. I don’t feel you’ve been given much respect as professionals, rather you’ve been treated like babysitters so that ‘Britain’ could ‘get back to work’. Placed in vulnerable positions, not offered vaccinations as a priority, vilified by the press when you question the safety of your working conditions. On top of this a curriculum designed to package children through testing, rather than built around the awe of learning, because politicians like to have things ‘measured’ and only when you can measure and evaluate can you see progress. Can’t have been easy.
Please keep in your hearts the knowledge that you help to create the society of the future, one child at a time. You change lives, you empower, you open eyes to the wonder of the world. You are spell-weavers. Thank you for all you’ve done for children over the past year and a half, doing the best that you can to help families navigate through such difficult times. You should be treasured as being at the heart of every community.
Learning is not just for school. It is a life-long vocation. But often school is the place where real learning begins, where we begin to understand how little we know, where we learn to hunger for more knowledge.
If you are a teacher and want to leave a comment, to let me know how you are, tell me a highlight of these hard times, or just say hi, please do. I will find something in my studio and send at random to a few people who comment over the next few weeks. A book, a bookmark, posters….
( We have ‘Explorer Notes’ for The Lost Words and The Lost Spells and Spellsongs, to help in schools. They were drafted by a good friend of mine, Eva John, who was a literacy advisor in schools for Pembrokeshire, but they move across ages and curriculum, so we hope they will prove useful. They include films of Robert Macfarlane ( writer and teacher as well as Wizard of Words) and myself reading spells and painting. We hope they will be useful. And we love seeing the work crafted by young people around our books.)
Anyway, as end of term approaches, this blog post is my way of saying thank you to all of you who’ve worked so hard to educate and to keep our children safe. It’s not been an easy time. This, and The Lost Words Blessing, is my thank you to you all.
What kind words. Teaching is the best job in the world. It brings me joy every day working with my year 6 children. They are inspirational and such fun to be with. I love teaching just as much now as I did 22 years ago. I was really proud of our my class adapted to remote learning in January-incredible.
I love your work. Nature is so special and must be treasured by us all. It’s so important that we foster a love of our world amongst the children in our care.
Thank you
Thank you Jackie. We used your book during our remote learning during the Spring Lockdown videoing ourselves out in the countryside reading the poems and encouraging the children to as well. When we returned the art work they did to complement their own poems was amazing. Such an inspiring book. Thank you for your kind thoughts and words. A tough time but would not do a different job!
Goosebumps,
Thankyou.
I could look and listen forever
This is beautiful. I have been a teacher and a teacher of teachers and I wish I’d been able to find your words to say to every teacher I’ve ever tried to inspire. It is such a privilege to be a teacher, to hold influence over so many future lives. You have summed up what it should be, to be a teacher, brilliantly. Thank-you.
Dear Jackie,
This is so beautiful…to acknowledge our teachers. I am 70 and taught Visual Arts in an all boys school (middle level, preteen age) in the US for 23 years. I retired from teaching six months before the pandemic, lucky in so many ways. It was difficult to watch my dear friends who soldiered on, struggling with all the challenges that you mentioned. One of my friends in the Art department lost his job because he couldn’t take the risk of exposing himself and his family.
I purchased your beautiful “Lost Words” as soon as it was available here in the states and have gifted two to friends to share with their grandchildren. I too have been a watercolor artist for many years and have great admiration your amazing work. What a blessing to the world that you and Rob MacFarlane joined in this endeavor.
Finally, I’m not writing to win your prize, so many other struggling educators should receive the gift of appreciation. I just wanted you to know how grateful I am that you, yourself, are teaching us to be awake to the beauty in this world.
Thank you,
Leandra
Dear Jackie,
That’s such a thoughtful lovely letter. Thank you for taking the time to write that for teachers who are so frazzled by the pandemic and all it’s brought. Thank you also to replying to my question a few months back about your paintings. My class are absolutely loving both our literacy and art units based on your book. We were just talking this morning about the magpies they’ve spotted since learning their names and painting them last week. They’ve also created fantastic blackout poems from your book introduction. I’m hoping to send you some photos of their work once we’ve done a bit more. Thank you for creating such amazing work and making sure the amazing resources are widely known about. It’s so useful and appreciated. Anna xx
Thank You so much, it’s not often as a teacher you hear praise from others about our profession. It has been a difficult few years on children, parents and staff and it will take many years to recover for everyone. Books have been vital during this time both personally – having a book club to meet with and discuss books but also with my class, reading as a stimulus, reading for pleasure, reading to make us laugh, using picture books to make our own stories . It is something that has kept us as a cohesive unit throughout this year (even if we are miles apart physically).
Jackie, these words of encouragement shine like a beacon and resonate loudly. Thank you so much for your words and your astonishing artwork.
Dear Jackie,
Thank you for this. I finished working in kindergarten (4-6 year olds) one week ago. I am in Ontario, Canada and over the past few years I have learned from and shared the work that you and Robert created with my students and staff. Having school outside 4 hours most days kept us safe, sane, and enabled so many wonderings about the natural world. We were virtual for the last 14 weeks of school and unable to be physically together. We read stories, danced, drew, and watched little videos of wildlife in our area. They could not ask enough questions!
The children are the wonder seekers for me. I may be a wonder-planter and sharer. The delight is in watching it take root. Take care and thank you for your support.
Thank you so much for your lovely art work and words. Books and stories have kept me going throughout the pandemic and have helped my class to stay engaged and connected whether in school or learning through live online lessons!
Thank you so much for thinking of us all Jackie and taking the time to write such grateful words. Teaching is without a doubt incredible and I feel so lucky to share physical space with growing minds; such an honour ❤️ The pandemic brought challenges never imagined, but the children were always at the heart of intent and it has been worth all the hard work and effort
Jackie, thank you for such kind and supportive words. I have to say that you and your marvellous work has kept me going through the strangest 18 months I could have imagined. I have lost myself in watching you paint online and entered into complete relaxation listening to Spell Songs at the Natural History Museum. This time last year, my colleague and I both gave each other ‘The Unwinding’ as our end of year present, a perfect start to the first break we had had in months. My class adore the dragons in ‘Tell me a dragon’ as well as the vivid words and images in ‘The Lost Words’ and ‘The Lost Spells’. Thank you.
Jackie this is a beautiful blog it is what education is about how you inspire bring subjects to life through creative innovative strategies. Your beautiful art work is amazing and I feel in the moment whenever I look at it. It’s been a tough year but in many ways it has drawn us to be creative to take risks to build curiosity. In that way it has been a positive impact of covid. .
Jackie this is a beautiful blog it is what education is about how you inspire bring subjects to life through creative innovative strategies. Your beautiful art work is amazing and I feel in the moment whenever I look at it. It’s been a tough year but in many ways it has drawn us to be creative to take risks to build curiosity.
Thank you for this heartfelt message. This week my class and I are isolating but we got together online and enjoyed reading and chatting together. At least we will spend the final week of this academic year together.
It has been tough on everyone and your words made me feel proud and also appreciate all that surrounds me as a teacher.
Stay well and thank you for the words.
Thank you so much for your very kind words, what a delight they were to read as the end of an exhausting year approaches. It certainly has been a challenge but it has also been a privilege to support learners and their families in different ways and to find new ways to do so. I asked students, families, staff and the local community to express thoughts and feelings about lockdown by writing poetry and the results appeared in an anthology we had designed and printed. These were then sold to raise money for our local food bank. This was a highlight for me and showed the power of words. It allowed people to express themselves during this diifucult time but also offered a way to offer support to others. The power of the pen! Thank so much again.
Hi Jackie,
I teach 14-18 year olds in California. I’ve used both pictures and words from your books to prompt writing. There’s something soothing about your art that I find both kids and adults gravitate to. I’ve gifted educator and artist friends your books, card game, and puzzles. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is just so touched by the beauty and truth in your work. So just a huge thank you from me to you:)
Dear Jackie
Thank you for this kind and beautiful post. You eloquently expressed just how many of us have been feeling in the teaching profession, particularly over the past year and a half. The quick shift to remote teaching saw my colleagues and I have to learn on the spot how to navigate all the computer platforms, Zoom lessons and find ways to teach through a screen, with the children mostly on mute – the complete antithesis to the norm of a classroom.
You talked about lifelong learning and I definitely learnt a great deal during this period! I also feel incredibly lucky that I could continue working and interacting with people when many people were suddenly home alone, unsure if they would have a job when this pandemic ended. It was incredibly hard work but I am very grateful to the children and their families who were hugely supportive through it all.
I would also like to say thank you to you for your beautiful books. I am one of those teachers who has seen children totally absorbed by the magic your incredible illustrations from ‘Tell Me A Dragon’ to ‘The Lost Words’. If there’s one thing we’ve all learned during this pandemic is how important nature and the natural world are to our well-being and mental health. Children seem to understand this better than adults in some ways. They show such interest in animals and whatever topic we do, if I can introduce animals in some way, shape or form, they are always absorbed.
During the pandemic, Millions of us have turned to the outdoors for walks and benefitted so much from the energy it gave us and the way it nurtured our souls in a dark time. You were ahead of your time with ‘The Lost Words’ and importance of such a book!
I can’t wait to see what you produce next and to share it with future classes.
Thank you!
Thank you Jackie – what a beautiful thing to read as we near the end of a long, challenging year.
The highlight of this year for me has been the ongoing enjoyment of books in my class. Despite other pressures, we’ve made always time for books; we even found a way during lockdown to share our thoughts, questions, loves & dislikes as a class. We called that part of our online day our togetherness time. I hope I’ve set them off on a journey of book love for life.
Thank you for the books you’ve added to all of our classes’ journeys.
Thank you Jackie. It has indeed been hard at times. Some things that have sustained me: art (my own and that of others, you included); music; daily dog walks; nature’s healing ways; friends, both ones i physically know and many elsewhere including on twitter; the children i teach and the joy of learning; books; family; dogs.
I’ve just come back from three exhausting days supervising DofE in Shropshire. I had to trail a silver group for their full expedition as one of our girls is prone to spontaneous unexplained collapses, and I seem to be able to get her out of them as I’ve known her for years. Strange, the mind. She didn’t collapse. We got so, so wet, and a bit sunburnt. This is everything I went into education for. Everything. But the head won’t thank me, won’t realise probably we’ve been, and all the kids can think about is getting home to bed. So words like yours above mean a great deal. Thanks for noticing, and thanks for thanking us.
Thank you ❤ I teach Y1 and a recent highlight was when I was on playground duty chatting to some children. One 6 year old turned to another and said, ‘Shall we go and roll down the hill?’ And off they trotted. Turned around and saw some others hugging our trees. Your books have inspired me to teach them how special nature is, and to me, these examples show me it’s working!
Thank you. It’s been quite a task and sometimes rather thankless (not from children, mind) so this was a lovely read from a top creator.
Hi Jackie, thanks for such a lovely post! I met The Lost Words with my daughters during the first lockdown and we love everything you do. Looking forward to meeting my new class soon and sharing the awe and wonder with them too. Very best wishes for a joyful summer.
Thank you Jackie. Your words are a warm hug during the end of term chaos @Denstone College Prep. I teach outdoor learning there. Someone asked my specialism, my reply ‘wonder and magic’! We use The Lost Words to make this happen.
Not a teacher (except in the way that we are all teachers for each other, but wanted to echo your sentiments. Teachers are one of the great, unappreciated sectors of our society – especially in a world where (some) parents are too stressed/ too busy to look after their own children.
Their work is appreciated!
Hugs,
M&M
Thank you Jackie. Such kind and perceptive words and the most beautiful blessing. Typing this through tears. It really has been the hardest year but we have got through it by supporting each other. My colleague and I used The Lost Words and The Lost Spells in the autumn term. Our children were completely absorbed in learning about nature – they previously knew so few names for our indigenous birds, animals, trees and flowers. Adder and Jackdaw were two favourites! They know more, care more and notice more about the world around them and I can’t think of anything better to take forward from this time. Thank you again.
Thank you Jackie for recognising the hard work all school staff have had to undertake over the last 18 months. The world has changed in this time but, I know our school has worked incredibly hard, like all schools, to give the children security, routine and a safe place to be. We have developed and created our curriculum around books (including a project around your beautiful work in the year group I teach) and it has been magical to see the children find comfort in the pictures they see and words they read. Thank you for giving us all a beautiful gift with your wonderful books, I know they have given me comfort during this difficult time.
Thank you Jackie, your kind words are very much appreciated. All the staff at St Anne’s Fulshaw echo your feelings about fostering and nurturing the joy of learning, even more so at a time when children’s lives are tense and uncertain. Wild learning and being outside, cloaked in nature, has been such a comfort over the last 18 months, and will continue to be so.
Wishing you well,
Love from all the staff at St Anne’s Fulshaw CE Primary School x
Wonderful words. So heartfelt and true. Thank you for your stunning art and poetic words. Balm for the soul in these and all
times.
Dear jackie
As a teacher in special schools for more than 30 years, I was deeply moved by your words. They made me think back to pre- lockdown times when I received a copy of ‘The Lost Words ‘through the post and carefully turned its pages, relishing every word and glorious painting. I took it to school, and together with my early years class presented an assembly based on your book. It was a joy to use it as inspiration. Things are different now and we have not been able to come together in the hall for assemblies for a long time. Instead we have gathered outside for our ‘Cheer if you’re Here’ celebration each week. We are lucky to have beautiful wildlife- rich grounds that have become even more precious lately as we have tried to spend as much time outside as we can. On a recent sunny day we spread out blankets under trees and amongst buttercups and we made up a song about all the things we could touch, hear, smell and see around us.
Your lovely words will mean an awful lot to every teacher that reads them I am sure.
Thank you for writing this, it made me cry. It has indeed been the toughest 18 months of my career and I see the same tiredness I feel in the faces of my amazing colleagues as we inch towards the summer holiday. But the children are always worth it. We love The Lost Words at our school, such a beautiful book.
I’ve recently retired from full time work and now support student teachers on placements. I have shared your beautiful books with students and my own grandchildren. Thank you for your kind words, as I have also seen the hard work and commitment demonstrated by all school staff over these difficult times.
I’ve taken a break from report writing to share your generous words with my teaching colleague’s on this last day of term. I was first introduced to your magical world at Christmas when I was given one of your beautiful illustrations as a present and have so enjoyed exploring your thoughts and creations ever since. I’d like you to know, your work has been such a wonderful source of comfort to me these last few months; it’s beautiful, thoughtful and given me hope for the future. I was also charmed to hear you’re dyslexic as that’s my area of work. So it’s now my turn to thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating such beauty. Sending flocks of love and many warm thoughts from my home in London to your home in Wales.
Jackie this is so beautiful… thank you for doing this for our teachers and for every single child that get the chance to read and look at your books.
I am not a teacher, I work with children and young adults with special needs and I have a craft and sewing workshop. We have been listening the Spellsong album this last year and a half when we are working and it create such a nice atmosphere. One of the girls chose one of your painting of The Lost Words and she and her co-worker are embroidering it to make a wall hanging. Another girl is taking inspiration from your watercolours and learning to paint birds… you are the teacher inside every book you write and draw, thank you for that
Thank you.
This made me cry!! Thank you Jackie, it’s not often that you hear praise for teachers. It has been a tough year, with much change and criticism but in teaching there is always a golden thread of joy to hold on to. Books, illustrations and nature have been a cocoon for me and my class this year.
Have a wonderful summer.
Dear Jackie,
Thank you for your to kind and perceptive words. To be celebrated and applauded has, as you have said, been in short supply for all of us in education – particularly by the media and ministers. For us as a profession and the children we teach, it has been tough. My year six class hits the final full week of term at home again as we isolate. So we are cranking up Microsoft teams again and trying to persuade the children that the cancelled Leaver’s events this week, aren’t the end of the world. I would like to thank you for your craft and creativity. I have used the Lost Words and Lost Spells as well as the accompanying music in class for their lyricism and rhythm and the illustrations have been pored over and inspired. To my delight, a second copy of The Lost Words was in a box of donated books at the beginning of lockdown 3 (who on earth could possibly bear to part with a copy?) and so I was able to gift my copy to a young teacher who is leaving us at the end of term. He was sceptical when I mourned the loss of words like hedgerow and lark from our dictionaries, but when your book came onto my radar, I shared it with him and he could appreciate our earlier conversation – particularly when he realised that our pupils might never know these words. I am going to share your message with my colleagues. I think they will be grateful for it.
Thank you Jackie
Such wonderful words and an excellent ‘pick me up ‘ at the end of another strange teaching year. You and Robert have created the most wonderful work which has supported my outdoor learning journey. The shift we have experienced lately towards appreciating nature and being outdoors is a very welcome by product of this pandemic and your work epitomises this.
I find the works and responses to your work so inspiring and really look forward to your future creations and collaborations . With the Lost Words you have created an amazing legacy wishing you best wishes for a great Summer
Tina
Thank you so much for your generous words. I read them with tears seeping out of my eyes. . I seldom feel like a ‘spell-weaver’ in my classroom and frequently reflect that I fall far short of kindling curiosity or inspiring young imaginations. The moments where wonder and magic are created are when I have privilege of sharing the truly inspirational with them: watching them gaze in amazement as David Attenborough meets a gorilla on our big screen, seeing them hold a found nest in their hands and marvel at its structure, witnessing goosebumps rise on arms as they listen to Holst’s Planets and hearing them gasp as I shared the image and poem ‘Kingfisher’ from The Lost Words during a study on rivers. It hasn’t been the easiest of years for many people and you are right that the teaching profession has been frequently abused despite working its hardest to continue to provide learning and care for every child. Despite that, I feel fortunate that I have a steady job that I have been able to carry out surrounded by supportive colleagues. I feel fortunate to have seen first hand the resilience and creativity of children as they toiled away with remote learning at kitchen tables and on bedroom floors. I feel fortunate to to have a job and a room full of people to work with daily who are demanding, frustrating, exhausting and utterly wonderful! Today I am isolating having been sent home from school yesterday. I will not be able to return until the final day of term. I am sad to be split from my class (who do not currently have to isolate) as we reach the end of our time together. I have cheered myself up today by messaging my colleagues a revised plan to hold a whole school shared experience week exploring The Lost Words next year (we hoped this would happen this summer but have had to postpone as we have had to remain in year group bubbles). Thinking about all of the lovely words and pictures for them to discover and what we can do to help them explore your treasure chest of a book was hugely uplifting. And then I popped on your site to see what you’d been blogging recently and there was your thoughtful and heartwarming message to all of us! Serendipity! Thank you again.
Dear Jackie, I am reading your beautiful journal entry a couple of weeks into the autumn term 2021 and your words made me weep – tears of joy for the privilege of having the role I have, tears of exhaustion for the burdens being carried. Your words were so encouraging and uplifting and timely. One of our lovely LSA’s shared it with me at the beginning of term and it’s all been such a whirlwind on our return that this is the first moment I’ve had to read it and absorb the encouragement and love. Thank you so much for flying our flag and leaving us with a spring in our step.