The Return of Biff and Chip Partnership with Garden Fields JMI My time in the Partnership Scheme was spent at my old primary school, Garden Fields JMI in St Albans. After leaving in 2009, coming back seven years …this was the most later was a strange experisatisfying moment ence, bringing from Partnership, back memories of days spent finding out that I reading Biff could inspire the and Chip books and threading pupils into trying pasta. While something new. there were many parts of the school that I remembered, such as the playgrounds and certain classrooms, a large area of the site had been renovated, now completely unrecognisable from
I spent some time individually with some of the Year 3 students, hearing each of them read. There was a real range of ability, graded by ‘reading ages’. I was assigned to help those with lower reading ages, in order for me to improve their fluency, pronunciation and speed. Over the next few weeks, I witnessed many of the students beginning to make good progress, moving onto trickier passages in more advanced books, giving them a real sense of achievement.
opportunity to play the class some songs and pieces on the piano. Mrs Browne knew of my background in music, and wanted to give the class a demonstration of this kind. This was really exciting for all the kids, and they responded extremely well, asking a huge number of questions, and by playing some pieces of their own. The whole event seemed to generate an inspiring atmosphere, with a handful of the class members coming to talk to me at the end, saying how much they wanted to start learning the piano now. For me, this was the most satisfying moment from Partnership, finding out that I could inspire the pupils into trying something new. Overall, my time spent in the Partnership Scheme working in my old school became something I especially looked forward to and enjoyed on Friday afternoons, in an environment and role that I had previously never experienced. I have gained invaluable skills in working with the younger generation, and realised it’s not such a daunting task as it may appear. Tom Dilley
One of my favourite moments from Partnership was when I had the
before. It was in this block that I was to meet the Year 3 class I would be assisting throughout the next year, helping them with classroom activities, and general problems in primary school life. Coincidentally, the class was taught by Mrs Browne, who had been my last teacher at Garden Fields in Year 6. She introduced me to everyone, and then immediately threw me into a busy classroom environment, with questions from the children coming from all directions. It was challenging at first to handle the whole situation, as being on the teaching side of a classroom was completely new to me. Quickly the lessons became more rewarding, as I started to realise that I could really make an impact and benefit their learning.
Tom, a fine pianist, was able to demonstrate his musical talents to the children at Garden Fields. He is seen here playing in a concert in St Saviour’s Church
The Albanian 2016 Community
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