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SuperBlog #2
BY Jameela Khan
We shared a range of poetry, prose and script/shows that we might take into a
class and explore. It was a way of gauging what we’re interested in and what
could be a starting point for a workshop. It was good to know that there was a
mix of suggestions that included the morbid, gruesome and silly. Sesame Street
was mentioned and I remembered how much I enjoyed watching Grouch, the
grumpy character that lived in a bin, and had worms for friends.
I love an organisation that emphasises that an opportunity to work in schools is
an opportunity to bring in a range of work that represents the world i.e. from
writers of colour to stories that reflect the experiences of the class. Anything
that helps broaden the curriculum, I’m a fan. Later we wrote a collective poem
based on ‘greetings’, which demonstrated additional ways we could
showcase/encourage the use of/celebrate the range of languages and insight
into different cultures known to the class.

SuperBlog #2
BY Jameela Khan
This reminded me of the time I had pointed at the different birds in a book to see
what the kids knew, on a Saturday morning library session in Bradford. At one
point I heard someone say Tota (Urdu/Hindi for parrot), or perhaps a parent told
a child it was a Tota, for clarification. I looked up and said, ‘yeah, you’re right,
it is a Tota’, and didn’t push to call it a parrot. That small acknowledgement
meant a lot (to me anyway), because a) it is a tota, b) the kid knows two
languages at least, let’s encourage that. And c) solidarity with a child who is in a
place in their lives that you once inhabited.
We looked at some warm up exercises - a way to gauge the class, generate some
content for the main exercise, and for each member of the class be given a
chance to take part. I really enjoyed the News Anchor who asks for updates from
the roving reporters (the class). As a fan of improv, I revel in how clever and
funny kids are. I could listen to them all day.
An exercise I completely fell flat on was ‘the recipe for a river’, which I would
have probably drawn, and/or ‘made’ with the kids as they read out the steps
(wearing a ridiculous chef’s hat or apron, maybe).