Comments on: More to me (than the measurement): Creating preferred identity report cards at school by Tarn Kaldor

By: Sandra Timbrell

Sandra Timbrell — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 05:24:06 +0000

Sandra Timbrell- Hi Tarn I absolutely love what you shared in the Narrative therapy. Especially students becoming the experts!
The same process happens to children/adults with disabilities. They are “measured” so they can access services. But at what cost to their identity. It is understandable that they would “resist”. Then they get a label as being difficult!
Fiona Mackie (sociologist) writes extensively about this process. She also uses Paolo Friere.
to demonstrate the process of labelling and ultimately dehumanisation via measurements.
All the best !
Sandra

By: Tarn Kaldor

Tarn Kaldor — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 04:04:54 +0000

In reply to Varda Kruger. Hi Varda, thank you for your comment. I'm encouraged to hear that something from our work resonated with you. I'd be interested to hear if you have explored any similar or related practices in your own context? Great question! Unfortunately I can't speak to this as I have taken significant time away from school to be with our new child. I hope to see more development and effects of the project when I return. All the best to you and your practice

By: Varda Kruger

Varda Kruger — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 15:28:12 +0000

Hi Tarn,

I was deeply inspired by your initiative, and I’m very interested to hear of the continued development you have made to this model in the subsequent years. Could you email me, or post here (for the benefit of others too), how we may be able to read more about that? Wishing you continued success.

By: Tarn Kaldor

Tarn Kaldor — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 02:08:32 +0000

Hello Shelley-Anne. Thank you for your comments and curiosity. I am excited to hear that you bring experience of teaching as well as an interest in narrative ideas – what a fantastic coupling!

Your questions have prompted me to consider things that I don’t actually have answers to (I think this is a good thing!). I too would be very interested to know the answers to your important questions above. Unfortunately I did not directly ask the parents/caregivers such things at the time (and some time has passed since I last engaged with the project). Your comments have encouraged me to consider how one might meaningfully engage family/significant others who are outside of the immediate school environment to reflect back on what the preferred identity report cards have made possible for them.

I think that a definitional ceremony of some description, to which the student experts could invite chosen others as witnesses and celebraters could be quite significant for everyone involved. At such a ceremony student experts could share what they wished to with the gathered witnesses (including peers), and also the family/caregivers/others could share reflections on what had been brought to light and what these report cards had enabled.

Thanks again for your engagement with this conversation, and for your comments that have now sparked my curiosity!

By: shelley-anne kim

shelley-anne kim — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 07:47:16 +0000

Hi Tarn – thankyou for sharing this project with us.
I have just recently retired from teaching and am beginning to train in Narrative therapy, so I found your project a real treasure trove of thoughts and ideas.
I am curious about the responses of the parents/caregivers to the ‘more to me’ report cards that students were ‘issued’. I wonder if 1. they found them helpful? uplifting? and 2. would they like to receive ONLY this sort of report about their child?