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

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

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

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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. 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.

Square Peg is entertaining as well as informative. I appreciate the "Big Ideas" and "Action Items" at the end of each chapter. It is a nice way to summarize what points Rose believes are the most important from all the information and personal anecdotes he provides. Square Peg includes an epilogue with Rose's current research findings, chapter notes, and a bibliography. As a teacher, I can get defensive when faced with a critique of the profession and this book certainly doesn’t shy away from that. However, I made a conscious decision to leave my teacher hat at the door and to give the book a fair shot. Square Peg - My Story and What It Means for Raising Innovators, Visionaries and Out-of-the-Box Thinkers, by L. Todd Rose is a great book with great ideas for our modern classrooms. Todd Rose was himself a 2E child. And the system failed him. He tells the story of how he was given a poetry assignment, and because he actually enjoyed writing poetry, he did it. His teacher failed him, thinking he had cheated, since Todd didn't try on any assignments, as a general rule. Even when Todd's mother plead his case to the teacher, the teacher held firm to the failed grade. Square Peg is, in part, a memoir about L. Todd Rose's experience growing up a misunderstood, wild and out of control kid with ADHD. He is every teachers nightmare, throwing stink bombs in school. He ends up making a lot of mistakes including, failing high school and is three steps short of being a juvenile delinquent. He had a couple of things going for him though, a mother who loved and accepted him and the will to succeed. He uses this will to succeed to reinvent himself. Square Peg is the story of how he went from being a failure at the very bottom of the educational system to a Harvard graduate student. Fran Morgan founded Square Peg in 2019, following her own daughter’s struggles in the education system. She was joined by Ellie Costello in 2020, with experience as a parent of children with underlying needs. She now runs the organisation, as well as working with local authorities and health teams. Ian Gilbert has been an advocate of change in the education system for many years, alongside his Independent Thinking associates.

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Despite this limitation, the book offers valuable insights and inspiration for those working in education. It reinforces how it is essential that we prioritise supporting our square pegs in schools and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable education system for all. Equipping teachers with the skills and knowledge to support these pupils can have a lifelong impact on their academic, personal, and professional development. As a parent of two "square pegs" (both my children are autistic, amongst other needs), this book was a good read. Sometimes though, it was a bit over my head as it is aimed more at educators than at parent/carers. However, one of my "square pegs" has been so let down by the system that she is currently not in school. She was even let down by the special needs school we got her into after she crashed out of mainstream school. I just wish that educators would rethink how they approach children. I wish that politicians would stop trying to fix things by putting arbitrary targets into place. There needs to be a wholesale change in culture. Not every child's success is the same. We need to be able to help all children succeed, even if that means different ways for each child. Square Pegs - Inclusivity, Compassion, and Fitting In," is a highly anticipated book that has resonated with potential readers in a big way. This comprehensive guide features 38 different chapters and 53 contributors, offering a diverse array of perspectives and experiences.

This book offers a wealth of practical examples of how collaboration between schools and families, alongside the will to make a culture shift, can lead to successful inclusion practices. It is very readable and contains practical advice and solutions, framed within the current educational context, that leaders, teachers and support staff can use to create the right systems and support to ensure that every child and young person really is more than just ‘fine in school’.Reading this book reinforced in me how essential it is that we prioritise supporting our ‘square pegs’ and work towards a more inclusive and equitable education system. More than that, it’s a valuable resource with a host of insightful and empowering perspectives on the experiences and challenges faced by these students. The conventions prevailing today in most schools throughout the world, in which rote memorization is still, anachronistically, prized originated in early-nineteenth-century Prussia, where the compulsory school system was designed to churn out loyal and obedient soldiers and factory workers. The model was never meant to nurture individual potential or creativity, but rather to instill uniformity and compliance." (p. 16) 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." Over and above this emotive aspect, which one might expect from a book on compassion, there are also many innovative and outside-the-box ideas for supporting “square peg students”. However, the authors don’t always take into account ever-shrinking school budgets. One chapter even states explicitly that “it is not about the money”. For many schools today, the sad reality is that it very much is.

I've learned a lot about 2E children (2E=Twice Exceptional, meaning simultaneously gifted and learning disabled) from that group and from doing my own research. I have often suspected that my Bria has a minor learning disability, even while being extraordinarily gifted in some areas. We went through an especially difficult period with her in the fourth grade, and, with a lot of work on our part, she has risen above many of the difficulties she encountered then. She's a determined--and very smart--child who now makes As and Bs, and has a goal to go to BYU. She just has to work really hard for those grades in certain subjects (cough cough math cough cough). Making schools more inclusive is essential to ensuring the well-being and ability to thrive of every young person. Creating a sense of belonging and using trauma-informed strategies to help the system welcome the square pegs, rather than continuing to force them into round holes, is clearly the way forward. The current government one-size-fits-all approach, particularly to SEND and behaviour, needs a rethink.

If all you want is facts and research results so you can find their flaws, read research journals, and leave this one alone.

To be generous to it, this scattergun approach does get you thinking and encourages you to form your own opinions. But while showcasing so many voices lends the book some weight, I can’t help but feel that it’s lost without a clear sense of where and how to apply it. A more coherent and aligned set of views would have allowed for a clearer and more impactful message. 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 in a rigid system of round holes. 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.

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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. I particularly like the practical tips and advice to help those supporting children who find the schools experience challenging. It should also give educational policy makers and regulators much food for thought in their oversight of our educational system. Recently, a 13-year-old girl with autism gave me a list of what a good school for her would look like: well-organised, supportive, calm, focused on learning, there to help. These are all things we would want to see for every child in every school. After spending two years out of the classroom because a succession of schools was unable to meet her needs, she went on to find a school which understood her and provided the springboard she needed to do well. She went on to achieve great things in her GCSEs and is now in sixth form. Like Square Peg, I want all schools to see the potential in all children and provide the support they need.



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