Square Pegs: Inclusivity, compassion and fitting in – a guide for schools

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Since establishing Independent Thinking 25 years ago, Ian Gilbert has made a name for himself across the world as a highly original writer, editor, speaker, practitioner and thinker, and is someone who the IB World magazine has referred to as one of the world's leading educational visionaries. One last thing, don't read this book hoping to copy everything the author did, read this book so you can understand what to look for in your child's environment that is hurting them and helping them so you know what you need to do. Square Peg arrived on my doorstep at the right time. My son is struggling in school and one of the reasons why is because he is bored with worksheets. Rose's book has given me a new outlook and strategies to help him and encourage his teachers to think "out of the box" when they teach him. Square Peg is a informative book for parents and educators alike. I think it might be my new teaching mantra as I have recommended it to several of my colleagues already. I'm going to end with one of my favorite quotes included in the book.

Square Peg is also a book for parents and educators who are looking for answers for helping kids survive and thrive in a failing education system. If you have a child with dyslexia or ADD or Asperger's you probably already know that your child doesn't do well in the current educational system. Rose provides specific techniques and ideas on how to be a better parent and how to be a more effective teacher when working with kids that are active learners.An enlightening first-person account of what it's like to be "THAT kid" in the classroom—and of how to help him be successful if you're his parent, teacher, or community. The editors have done an excellent job of curating experiences, personal stories and expert insights that make their book a must-read for anyone seeking to understand, appreciate and nourish the unique qualities that make each student special. Although the author says that there is not one factor in his growth beyond being a challenging child with misbehaviors, the one thing that comes through over and over again is that his mother stood in the gap for her child and believed in him. The other beliefs about himself he discovered on his own. Rose's book is simultaneously a memoir and a textbook which teaches parents and teachers how to cater to individual learning styles. He has great ideas for using all of the technology available today to help the students that struggle in a traditional learning environment. I liked how he had 'Big Ideas' and 'Action Items' after every chapter. I liked even more that the action items often included things like "give your child a hug!" Rose, who was diagnosed with ADHD as a youth and consequently dropped out of high school with a 0.9 GPA, is now a faculty member of the Harvard School of Education. His story is inspiring, and his ideas for our children even more so.

The story of the Square Peg is a book every parent who has a troubled child should read. There are so many parents out there who have forgotten what it means to be a kid, especially being a kid in today's times. I'm not sure when it happens, but it seems that as soon as adults turn into parents, they lose all sense of reality and common sense. They like to believe that what they are doing is best for their kids, when sometimes it is not. This book explains the trouble the author had growing up because of all the trouble he got himself into. His impulsivity always made him look like a kid with no future and no chance of doing anything good with his life. Boy, did he prove them wrong. One of the ways to reach struggling students is to use digital technology in the classroom. Currently I am teaching with digital media (Ipads in the classroom) and am rethinking and relearning a new way to teach my curriculum. I am trying to create a paperless classroom (the wave of the future) as well as being creative with lessons on the Ipads. I love it and I believe my students do too. I plan to teach the staff in my building some of the techniques I am trying digitally in my classroom. I love to be an innovator! Did I mention I have ADD?

After his article and TED talk, I thought, "Yeah, but not everyone will work for Google. Not everyone will be president of the United States or even of a company. I'm not sure you can change the whole system to supposedly meet the needs of a handful of students and the expense of all students." Written by Fran Morgan with Ellie Costello and edited by Ian Gilbert, Square Pegs: Inclusivity, compassion and fitting in – a guide for schools is a book for educators who find themselves torn between a government/Ofsted narrative around behaviour, attendance and attainment, and their own passion for supporting square pegs and their families. So what makes this book different from all the others? The author shows his thought process about how he viewed the world and how the world viewed him. He made this a personal journey about all his troubles and what he did to fix them and arrive on top. He combined the idea of his personal struggles with how the world views trouble makers like him and what they try to do about it. He wanted to show the world that kids like him can come out on top, if they get the support they need. worked with MPs to write to the Secretary of State for Education, and raised Parliamentary questions around attendance I participate in a Facebook group where the discussion centers largely around learning differences in students, and ideas for helping those students receive an education that works for them. The group was born when a friend of mine met a lot of resistance from both her child's teacher and the school/school district in trying to get her daughter help. She also met plenty of resistance from the educational system in trying to figure out why she was struggling in the first place.

This story made me so angry! And even though that was probably 20-30 years ago, things like this still happen quite commonly in our educational system. Over the last few years, changes in education have made it increasingly hard for those children who don't 'fit' the system - the square pegs.Furthermore, the book challenges readers to think deeply about the ever-shrinking school budgets, which are responsible for the limited resources and support available to educators. While the book does not offer solutions to this issue, it highlights the need for a deeper exploration of this problem and how it affects our education system. Our education system is failing our children and young people. It is a one size system that does not fit all (far from). Square Pegs is a compelling metaphor that cuts right to the heart of the emotional barriers preventing so many from attending school. It is also a great book which brings together a range of voices to provide an essential toolkit for anybody working with or living with square pegs. It contains practical advice, useful resources and, most importantly, a poignant insight into not fitting in. I am sure that this book will make the lives of lots of children, young people and their families easier. I also hope that it and the wider square peg movement will ultimately lead to a reform of education so that our system allows everybody to not only fit, but to thrive.

If all you want is facts and research results so you can find their flaws, read research journals, and leave this one alone.attended the inaugural conference of INSA (the International Network for School Attendance) in Oslo in October 2019, and now sit on two INSA committees