Alexandra Palmer
I qualified as a primary school teacher in 2001 and have worked in Cornwall since then. I started to write for SPCK Publishing assembly website in 2017 which provides high quality Christian assemblies for teachers. My dream would be to see my book published and for it to be a starting point for adults to truly understand childhood bereavement combined with the long term impact it has on mental health and grief in general. There are very few books or resources which can do this from a fictional point of view due to it being a challenging topic to fully understand and write about. However, I have a unique perspective.
Charlotte's Candle combines my knowledge and personal experience of when my Mum died when I was young, at a time when there was no help for children. Plus, as a teacher, I have taught pupils whose Mum or Dad have died and seen the impact of current bereavement support has on children today. However, this only works well if the surviving parent accepts and engages with that guidance and advice. When I did A Levels Communications at Sixth Form College, I wrote a leaflet about childhood bereavement as I had delayed grief and I wanted to work through it. A few years later, aged 21, I knew I wanted to write something further about bereavement which is why I've ended up writing my book. Even though my main character, Charlotte, has the same starting point as me - her Mum dies when she was 11 years old, it's not my story but it raises many questions I had after my bereavement.
I enjoy travelling and one of my favourite trips was to New Zealand but, the first time I flew in a plane, was when I did a parachute jump for charity. My Christian faith is an important part of my life along with my cat who thinks she owns my house. She's probably right!
My second entry, Dash the School Cat and Nap Time, is the first in a series of rhyming stories about a school cat (Other stories are: Dash the School Cat and Bonfire Night, Dash the School Cat and Sports Day and I'm now working on another one - Dash the School Cat and School Camp). Inspired by the school cat who used to live at my primary school when I was a child. The headteacher used to sit on a different chair or on the floor when the cat was asleep on his headteacher's chair! My old primary school just happens to be the school I teach at. I would love these books to become picture books as it's just a different way of writing about the school environment.
Dash yawned – it was time for his nap;
He needed to find a soft, comfy lap.
A pillow would be somebody’s knee;
He decided to find who was free.
Nursery was a great place to begin.
Dash lent on the door and let himself in.
The children were playing, learning to share,
Taking turns with toys, so things were fair,
So much busyness, not one lap spare;
Reception was next, so Dash went in there.
The girls were out on their scooters and bikes;
There were even three-wheeled super-fast trikes;
The boys were building a sand castle city,
Dash meowed - there wasn’t a lap for this kitty!
In Year One, Dash printed using the sparkly art,
His trail of red paws looked splendidly smart,
Paintings of rainbows and aliens with odd eyes,
A picture of Dash which was a lovely surprise.
Suddenly, there was a disaster – a gigantic splash!
Water was everywhere, but where was Dash?
The children grumbled then started to cry,
Dash hid under a table, ready to ‘fly’,
As quick as a flash he’d sped to the door,
His tabby tail dripping along the wet floor.
In the playground, Dash found a sunny spot;
Year 2 were kicking balls, each a great shot!
Dash decided to join in and play,
And batted a ball which came his way,
The boys said, “No, we’re about to play a game,”
But he loved football – What a great shame!
Dash still had to find that purr-fect knee,
He tried the next class which was Year 3.
The children were reading, sharing a book,
Dash sat on the twins’ lap so he could look;
With his head poked above the table,
He was a cat who was purr-fectly able.
Giggles broke out and Miss Dean got grumpy,
Dash disappeared, her lap was too lumpy!
Pirate poems were being written in Year 4:
“Ahoy, me hearties!” said Mr Dee in a roar.
Dash pretended he was on a pirate ship,
And having the most exciting trip.
Would he survive the stormy weather?
And end up finding hidden treasure?
If he were a ship’s cat, what would he dream?
Chasing mice or a bowlful of cream?
Dash sailed away and joined the Year 5 line,
Who were marching to the garden, all in time,
They were finding out about plants and roots,
Dash wished for a pair of bright blue boots.
Sam dug up old plants from the ground,
Whist Emily wrote down what they’d found;
Dash thought…
“I better help out, but oh whiskers and paws,
I can’t dig as I need to sharpen my claws!”
Instead…
Dash rolled about in the long weeds,
As the children planted their small seeds.
Dash yawned, he really needed his nap,
He just couldn’t find a soft, comfy lap,
The scarecrow said, “Try my head,”
But that wouldn’t make a snuggly bed.
There was one more class left to go,
Who loved learning and performing a show.
But Year 6 were working out their sums,
Adding up using their fingers and thumbs.
Dash nudged their legs and said, “Meow!”
He had to get their attention somehow;
But nobody gave Dash a pat or a cuddle,
As they didn’t want to get into a muddle,
So…
What could he do as not one lap was spare?
Dash decided to find a soft, comfy chair.
Quietly, he sneaked into a dark room,
Leapt onto a chair, purring a happy tune;
Dash cleaned his paws then curled up to sleep,
Started to snooze and counted 10 fluffy sheep.
In came Mr Kent and said, “Dash, should you be there?”
Just who ended up sitting in the Head-Teacher’s chair?
Comments
A cute story with a fun…
A cute story with a fun twist. Poor Dash and his search for comfort and peace! Lovely work.
Thank you so much Cate - I'm…
In reply to A cute story with a fun… by catehogan
Thank you so much Cate - I'm so glad you you liked it. I started writing them for my class when I taught one of my Infant classes (aged 6 to 7). Have shared them with my Junior classes as well. When I teach Literacy at school, I love teaching poetry as children can use the structures of poem to produce their own work. There are other Dash the School Cat poems as well - Bonfire Night, Sports Day and School Camp. I'm sure there are many other school themes I could cover with the help of Dash!