Angeline Morrison

It would be fair to say that most of my posts on here have a somewhat negative slant. After all, the whole basis of the blog has been to expose a toxic head teacher, with the odd foray into unwanted academisation, and dealing with loss. 

So, I have decided to write the last post of the year in honour of my ‘person of the year': Angeline Morrison. 

First and foremost, Angeline is a fantastic singer/songwriter. My partner and I discovered her after an incredible album of hers came out last year - The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience. I encourage anyone who likes folk to get hold of a copy immediately if they do not have it already.

Her voice is beautiful; the songs are masterfully written and arranged. However, it is far more than just a delight for the ears. The songs are both tender and full of depth.

It is a concept album, exploring the trials, tribulations, and beauty of British Black History over the past couple of centuries: tales of sadness but also a lot of joy and optimism. One of the main messages for me was that Black British Experience is not, and should not be, just be associated with enslavement. It is far richer and more complex than that. In as such, my understanding was broadened: I can honestly say that Angeline educated me.

Rarely has a week gone by without the album being played in our household and a couple of months ago, I had the golden opportunity to introduce this piece of art to my class.

Indeed, during Black History Month at school this year, our school chose to look at contemporary British Black women. My class were given a business woman to study. Being a bit of an old socialist fuddy-duddy teacher, I took exception to this. Not just from an ideological point of view, I must add. But also because I knew my children would not be inspired to do work on someone from the world of finance. I decided that I did not want Black History to be one tokenistic lesson. It is limiting enough that it is only celebrated for one month of the year. We should be fighting for it to be a constant. Anyway, I planned a number of lessons around Angeline. And we got in touch with her... 

Little did I realise at the time just how kind and generous she was going to be to us: I received a response from her virtually immediately. And from that point onwards, she could not have been more supportive. She showed such gratitude to, and investment in the children. I did not know that Angeline had written a scheme of work which she pointed us to and was really useful when, as a class, we looked at Black History in Britain. 

After looking at this and studying several of her songs, the children eagerly got to work writing to her. We sent her the poems and letters full of questions the children had written. 

 

We also recorded a class song: 

Thank you Angeline

For many long years,

We’ve learnt from fine books

And we’ve learnt from past tales

And we’ve learnt from fine songs.

But who were they for?

And who wrote them down?

It’s time that we heard them told

From other voices as well.

 

One who speaks from the heart,

One who’s made it her quest,

Is our scholar of choice,

Who’s been searching for years,

To show truth from the past,

From a different place

Right in front of our eyes,

And yet hidden away.

La la lee la la lay,

Thank you Angeline

For the gifts you bestow.

In this country of ours,

There are so many folk,

Different colours and creeds

With rich stories to tell.

Angeline, more than all,

Has taught us so much,

Made us feel with her songs

Emotions we’ve never known.

 

Despite a busy schedule touring, she found the time to record a 20 minute video where she answered every single question contained in their letters, and spoke every single child's name when answering the specific questions. Upon the class visualising the video, I spent the whole time watching the children's reactions: eyes wide open, mouths agape, faces full of joy. It meant the world to them and they will cherish these memories for the rest of their lives. They had taken ownership of their learning and been truly rewarded for their work.

The culmination of our project happened a couple of weeks later when Angeline requested to be able to speak to the children live. All the children of both Year 5 classes gathered in one room. At first, Angeline thanked the children for their work and kindness, and then let the children interview her again - but in real time. It was certainly a real highlight of my career as a teacher: the children's joy throughout the whole project was beautiful to experience.

That is why Angeline Morrison is my person of the year: a loving and generous artist who found time to bring joy into the lives of 60 Lewisham children and a bunch of us adults too. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart Angeline: you are a beautiful person and I will forever be grateful to you! xxx

P.S. The children still request to hear 'Unknown African Boy...' several times a week!

Running memories...

I was running yesterday. At my current school, we had a health and safety review recently. It's funny how the mind works: halfway through my run, I remembered a particular incident at my previous school linked to health and safety. 

One day, an unannounced fire drill took place.

Nothing unusual there.

Knowing where pupils are at any given time is something that teachers take very seriously. The alarm went off: I followed procedure to the letter. I quickly got the children ready and realised that I was a child short. She had gone to the toilet, or so I thought... Time is of the essence in an exercise like this, so I led my class out to the playground.

And then I got quite cross. Said child eventually turned up on the playground too and the poor thing got quite the telling off.

“Where have you been?”

“Do you not realise what this could have meant if there had been a real fire?”

Etc.

The poor child was crestfallen. It was at this stage, and only at this stage that I was informed that she had in fact been intercepted and taken to a member of the leadership’s office as part of the fire drill procedure. To test us. To see how staff would react.

Or was it just to try to catch me out?

I went from cross to full on enraged and made it extremely clear that I found such practices completely unacceptable. As far I am concerned, it was a form of gas-lighting. Nothing unusual there – in our toxic school...

The head’s response was that it was common practice. That it happened in all other schools that took safety seriously. I still think this is complete bullshit and what is more have never heard of any similar trickery at other schools.

To me, it was a mind game pure and simple. An attempt to catch me out and to then use this in a disciplinary. As she had done with other members of staff and would appear to have continued to do so up to the present day – take note oh venerable governing body and council…

Ooh, the anger just will not go away! Rest assured friends that I am actually in a good place. This is cathartic and I believe needs to be out there. Love to you all. Except for… well, you know…