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

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Budget cuts, the loss of support staff, an overly academic curriculum, problems in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and difficulties accessing mental health support have all compounded pre-existing problems with behaviour and attendance. The ‘attendance = attainment’ and zero-tolerance narrative is often at odds with the way schools want to work with their communities, and many school leaders don't know which approach to take. In recent years, many schools in England have started to implement strict policies around behaviour, curriculum and attendance. As the screws tighten, more and more square pegs (read ‘deeply distressed young people’) have started voting with their feet. When you stop going to school, it creates all kinds of problems: home visits, financial penalties and, incredibly, the threat of custodial sentences for the parents and carers of persistent ‘offenders'. The fact that so many young people should choose such strife over attending school should tell us something very important about their lived experience of our one-size-fits-all education system. It seems likely that increasing numbers of square pegs will continue voting with their feet until we reach crisis point. But this crisis can be averted if we listen to the voices of those affected now. This brilliantly curated book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in creating a more diverse, empathic, responsive educational ecosystem that works for all young people. 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 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.

I've come across this "rote memorization" argument a lot lately when reading about education reform. But when I hear a 7th-grade math teacher say that her students don't know what 3 times 4 is, I have to argue that, actually, there is still a place for memorization in our children's education: times tables, for instance. assisted with a BBC news story and secured national coverage ( BBC Breakfast, regional TV, local radio) in September 2019 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.This is an outstanding book in terms of content, awareness and relevance of the issues facing schools with increasing numbers of learners falling by the wayside. The authors enable the reader to reflect on real issues that arise and ways forward to promote potential. The book will be a major asset for teachers and lecturers at all levels to develop confidence, awareness, and personal safe practice to promote change. In particular, it serves as a reminder to all senior managers to change the mind set from re-shaping the square peg to broadening the round hole. 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) If you want your child to end up just like the author did, read this book and pray, but don't rely on the first option.

Overall, I found this a very interesting, informative and powerful book to read. The easy-to-read, jargon-free style and the clear structure allows the reader to access topics that are of interest. Whilst I feel the content is most useful for school managers, there are certainly resources, information and tools that could be used in EP practice and EP training. 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.No child should miss out on a good education and the chance of opportunities in life just because their school doesn’t give them the support they need to succeed. Most schools cherish and value the children who have special educational needs; there are also some who do not place inclusion high on their list of priorities, and exclude or marginalise children rather than provide the mental health and therapeutic support they need. 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." Budget cuts, the loss of support staff, an overly academic curriculum, problems in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and difficulties accessing mental health support have all compounded pre-existing problems with behaviour and attendance. The 'attendance = attainment' and zero-tolerance narrative is often at odds with the way schools want to work with their communities, and many school leaders don't know which approach to take. 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.

The book is well-structured and guides the reader through definitions, current issues and practical tools in a clear and accessible manner. Each chapter is written with a distinct focus by a different author, and each offers approaches to support young people as well as inspiring reflection upon current systems, highlighted by real-life experiences, whilst maintaining statutory duties… Key points, theories and support strategies are regularly clarified by clear diagrams, visual representation of theories, tables providing clear action plans, and illustrations and children’s word, all of which provide useful summaries and points of reference throughout the text. 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. worked with MPs to write to the Secretary of State for Education, and raised Parliamentary questions around attendance 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. I am at the midpoint in the book where he is starting to get his act together. Up to this point I think he is a sociopath who is coddled by his mother. His father seems a distant and strict character who does not try to make any attachment with him and does not try a more personal approach to modifying his behavior. As a child he is totally self-involved with no desire to control his behavior (and, again, not much real help in getting it corrected). He proved that he could have changed his behavior any time it benefited him when he reinvented himself at the new school ... and again when his girlfriend got pregnant and he decided that it behooved him to become responsible. At both of these times he was, again, self-serving and it continued to be 'all about' him. At this point, also, I don't see how he gave any indication of being an innovator, visionary or out-of-the-box thinker; he was just a stinker.The book challenges readers to think deeply about the experiences of children who are labeled as "square pegs" in their education. It highlights the need for a supportive and inclusive environment in schools, where every student is given the opportunity to reach their full potential. The contributors to the book show us that by providing such an environment, square pegs are given the chance to thrive and be proud of who they are. This not only benefits the individual pupil but also enriches the entire school community, creating a diverse and accepting atmosphere where everyone is valued for their unique contributions. 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. I've been reading a lot about education lately. I got this book because of this NPR article, "Standards, Grades And Tests Are Wildly Outdated, Argues 'End Of Average,'" Feb. 16, 2016 ( http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/0...). I also watched his TED talk, https://youtu.be/4eBmyttcfU4. Vintage added: “We are thrilled to be supporting the Free Books Campaign for another year and donating books by trailblazing authors from genres across the full range of Vintage’s publishing.

Vintage will partner with the Free Books Campaign for the second year in a row, donating 300 books over the course of 2023. Bringing different perspectives and expertise together in one place, Square Pegs aims to help school leaders and staff support children (and their families) more effectively. The authors cover a wide variety of topics – including school attendance, building relationships, trauma-informed practice, and behaviour management. Featuring contributions from more than 50 individual authors, this is an accessible, dip-in, dip-out book – perfect for busy school leaders. secured a project on persistent absence and its correlation with SEND as one of the Children's Commissioner’s 10 strategic priorities for 2020/21 This book should be required reading for all SENCOs and headteachers in the UK, and even beyond. This book explains why the current school system fails certain children specifically and all children in a broader context.They need to know that you are always there for them, even in very hard times, otherwise they lose hope in themselves. 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.