Lockdown Looms: Reggie's Birthday Party

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Mr Alexander is hoping his book will be used by other schools and has already received supportive messages about the book from headteachers and librarians and the impact it has had on their learners. Banji’s teaching career started as a student at IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, where he undertook a placement in a school with disadvantaged pupils - an experience that Banji says prepared him fully for his career in the classroom. “I think the opportunity to train and do my placement at a very challenging school really set me in good stead for the rest of my teaching career and gave me the skills needed to teach anywhere,” he explains. I remember children in my class being disappointed about not being able to celebrate their birthdays in the ‘normal’ way, and missing members of their families, who they weren’t able to see due to the restrictions,” Alexander, who lost his uncle during the pandemic, said. Alexander also recalls the negative impacts of the pandemic he saw reflected in his students. He mentions higher levels of anxiety, gained weight, and countless hours online as the main factors that affected his students. Alexander says, “Children were looking at things online and not being happy with themselves because they're comparing themselves to the sort of forced reality that they're seeing online.” Learning focus activities include exploring different Commonwealth Countries and individual activities that explore King Charles’ love of favourite recipes and flowers—with children colouring and planting to celebrate. Not least– children dressing up in Red, White and Blue with their home made “Crazy Day Hat” to wear too! Lots of fun and learning !!!

Mr Alexander is hoping the book will help children to learn how to manage their expectations which positively impacts their mental health. Mr Alexander, a teacher at an inner-city South London school, said: “I didn’t have a book that I could use to walk my learners through the Covid-19 pandemic and the strange new world around us: masks, social distancing, homeschooling, vaccinations, bereavements etc. The important messages in the book are about kindness, resilience, patience, gratitude and adapting to change. I want the reader to know there is light at the end of the tunnel, regardless of how challenging things may seem. I hope the book will help children learn how to manage their expectations, and become better at articulating how they are feeling.” The story covers topics such as masks, social distancing, home schooling, vaccinations, bereavements, chaotic supermarket scenes and food shortages. One of Alexander's main joys from teaching is inspiring the next generation. He hopes to inspire future doctors, writers, musicians, scientists, etc. There is also an emphasis on teaching his students not to limit themselves to one part of life. He says everyone can do amazing things, but it is just that people don’t lean into that side as much as they should.During his book tour, Alexander developed a group called Banji’s Class. Forty five students from nine different schools in London make up the group. The group’s main focus is acting, dancing, and singing with a little rap mixed. The group falls in line with Alexander’s love of music and his former aspiration to be a musician himself. He says there is no greater feeling than helping someone realize they can do something they didn’t think possible, and that is what his experience has been with Banji’s Class. Alexander’s parents were strict when it came to academics, and as a result, he devoted most of his time to schoolwork. Even when he wasn’t in school, he spent much of his free time reading rather than getting in trouble. His motivation for becoming a teacher was to inspire the next generation. Growing up, he did not have many teachers that looked like him and came from where he was from. Alexander wanted to be a teacher that kids could relate to. Along with receiving praise from the media, Alexander also received a letter from the Mayor of London praising him for the work he did with his students during the pandemic. “I felt that it was not just a thank you to me, but it was a thank you to the whole teaching profession,” Alexander says.” When I tweeted about the letter at the time, I extended thanks and gratitude to all the teachers across the country because this was just one thing that I had done personally.” Alexander recounts, “I had my own issues. I had issues in my family. I lost my uncle during the pandemic. This book was like therapy to me because some of the themes in the story are hope, determination, adapting to change, kindness, and these were skills and qualities that I wanted my pupils to gain, but they were also qualities I had to remind myself that I was capable of tuning into during that very difficult time for myself and my family.” I think that for children to reach their full potential within education, it's important that there is a diverse pool of educators who are creating and leading the curriculum and who also understand the social-economical situation in which their learners are coming from,” Alexander says.

We celebratedthe Coronation of King Charles III on Saturday 6th May with activities and events in school on Friday 5th May. While juggling teaching and writing amidst a pandemic brought its challenges, Banji reflects on that period with pride. “By writing the book, I was able to turn a negative into a positive and inspire and motivate my learners in a creative way. It was a real career highlight for me,” he says. Laying the groundwork Alexander received praise for his book and the positive impact it had on school children in the United Kingdom.Covering topics including masks, social distancing, home schooling, vaccinations, bereavements and food shortages, the book was written “to allay the fears of my learners surrounding the pandemic, help them to understand what they were going through and facilitate discussions around mental health and wellbeing,” explains Banji. The COVID-10 pandemic has been very hard on everybody and a new way of living has taken some getting used to. Children especially have struggled and have been affected educationally, emotionally and with life development in general. The aim was to write a book that would offer hope and benefit children’s mental health, said the author, who said he discussed the characters’ feelings with his pupils, teaching them vocabulary to express their own emotions with more accuracy. The important messages in the book are of kindness and resilience, patience, gratitude and adapting to change.