It is a far, far better thing doing stuff for other people...

Having felt a little sorry for myself over the past few weeks, I have decided that this must stop. Ta Da! It just did. Why should I get to feel sorry for myself when there is plenty to feel ecstatic about, cue Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful World'. Yes, I may be ill and have no job to go to after graduation but Louis is right, there are trees and my God they are green, and there are even some red roses too. Huzzah!

As you know I have just finished my teaching degree, but I don't know if I ever told you why I embarked on this crazy path. I decided to turn my hand to teaching because I wanted to help children with special needs. It's as simple as that. It's something I am very passionate about (my poor friends probably shudder every time they hear the words 'special' and  'needs' in a sentence, for they know I am about to launch into my classic rant/disgust at the lack of knowledge out there surrounding special needs children. It is taking every bit of the self control I have not to launch into it now). It's not that I don't love mainstream teaching but when you see a sea of hundreds just lining up to be mainstream teachers (and that's just one year group within one university) you can't help but want to be immersed back into the world of special needs. Mainstream schools have every Tom, Dick and Harry wanting to serve their children. If you mention special needs to that sea of hundreds I just mentioned, so many of their faces would drop faster than if you'd said 'SATS results'. However, this post is not about me today nor is it about the work I want to do. I may save that for another day, you bloody lucky lot you. When remembering why I, almost idiotically, became involved in teaching I remember that at the heart of it all I simply wanted to help where others didn't seem willing to go. And at this time when getting that all important job seems less likely than achieving a PHD, I have decided to spend my free time in helping others. I am fed up with trying to help myself and there are far more deserving souls out there. The End. Today, I was so beautifully reminded of that.

During a teaching degree you are thrust into schools to slowly build up your teaching practice. Some schools make you never want to leave and some make you question your decision to become a teacher altogether. The first school I nervously entered in my first year was the former. A dreamboat of a school (it was mainstream and I still loved it; it must have been good!) that's only downside was being located in the middle of nowhere (or the Surrey suburbs if you want me to be accurate) and having to get a cold and damp coach every morning at 7.15am. I taught (or tried to) a gorgeous, beyond gorgeous, reception class made up of 31 children you'd be proud to call your own. Looking back, I don't think I realised just how lucky I was to have had this delightful bunch for my first teaching practice. But why am I telling you this? Why should you care? Let me explain.

One of those darling children happens to be ill. Very ill, actually and it breaks my heart. As I said, all the children were delightful and Adam is no exception. On my Good Bye/Thank You card from that said reception class there is a photograph of the whole class on the front and the child with the biggest grin of all on their face just happens to be, Ta Da, you guessed it, Adam. It never fails to make me smile. A year or so after my said teaching practice had ended, I happened to be looking something up on the schools website and noticed a picture of Adam in the top corner with the words 'Adam's Appeal'. I, being the nosey sod I am, clicked on the square to see what this appeal was for and immediately felt the hot tears come running down my cheeks. Adam has advanced stage Neuroblastoma, an aggressive children's cancer. And for the past 20 months or so his father Nick has been blogging about his son progress as well as appealing for help to raise the vital funds that Adam needs to receive the very best treatment.

If you only do one thing this month that benefits others, let it be for Adam. Even if only because his smile on that Good Bye/Thank You card, which proudly sits on the mantle piece in my bedroom, makes me smile. It is a small charity and I'm sure EVERY bit of support would be received with a smile.

However, Nick writes so much better than I do, so if you wish to find out more (and I hope that just one of you does) then please click HERE to do so. See, I have even set up a fool proof link to make life easier for you (for those fools - and I think I love you best any who - that can't find the link, just message me and I'll send you a personal one. I am too good to you lot sometimes!). There is also an entire website set up to let you know exactly how you can help. Simply click  http://adamsappeal.org/ and hey presto!

As the bizarrely brilliant musical, Avenue Q says, "when you help others, you can't helping yourself!", so really I am just helping you help yourself. It's win win! It really is.

For all of you who do take a goosey gander and help out, can I just say a very quick THANK YOU! You are now my very favourite person in all the world. Even more than Rafa, Father Christmas, The Blonde One or Dynasty. Put together. And that is saying something!




P.S. If anyone is thinking 'why on earth do I know the title to this post?' - it is a far, far better thing doing stuff for other people - ...it's because I stole, no, borrowed the line from Cher (character in the film Clueless and modern day Emma Woodhouse, not the diva extraordinaire that bought us such classics as The shoop, shoop song) who I get all my best lines from.