There is nothing more powerful than hearing directly from a child or young person about their personal lived experiences. The poem below has been written by an wonderful young lady in Cambridgeshire called Polly Laud (aged 9 years old at the time) - who has given permission to share her own reflections on how life at school feels for her.
Please Understand Me
Let me explain how I feel, on the outside it doesn’t look like a big deal,
But on the inside I’m far from free, as you’ll see.
School is the centre of sensory overload for me,
When I step in, I can no longer speak.
I feel trapped inside my mind.
On the playground there are children who squeak, squeal and scream and this is
One of the things that sets me off.
When I am set off, I might cry, go silent or get stressed.
Talk to me, but not too loud, if you do I get overwhelmed.
Please don’t be offended if I don’t look at you,
I find it uncomfortable.
As you see, I’m far from free.
Please do not ask me direct questions, I will explain what happens to me.
I get hot all over and in seconds I can no longer speak because my throat closes up.
This is one of the things that makes my emotions messed up and I don’t know how I feel.
As you see, I’m far from free.
I want to join in with the girls and play but I don't know what to do or say.
All I want to do is play.
As you see, I’m far from free.
The classroom environment is too much,
Too much to see, too much to touch.
The way I hold my pencil that rubs on my skin.
As you see, I’m far from free.
When I look around, there's too much to see and too many people around me.
Everything I look at, makes me overthink.
It’s impossible to listen.
As you see, I’m far from free.
The smallest noises seem so LOUD, it makes me want to cry and shout!
Put all the senses together and it becomes unbearable for me.
I always try to fit in with the class, but I don't feel the same as everyone else.
I don't want anyone to fuss over me.
I just want to be normal.
Please understand me.
By Polly Laud, age 9
This link will take you to Heather Moran’s website where you can access a range of FREE tools for eliciting children and young people’s views using a technique known as Personal Construct Psychology (PCP), developed by George Kelly in 1955. This technique can be applied to any situation and is based on the idea that every person has their own unique perspective on the world (constructs) which are based on their own individual experiences. The way that we behave is therefore an indication of how we are making sense of the world, based on the constructs that we hold. You do not need any prior knowledge of PCP in order to use these tools.
- Drawing the Ideal Self (including prompt sheet)
- Exploring Situations and Problems Cards
- And many more....
