At King Athelstan, we want children to be aspirational and set themselves challenging ambitions. We call these our Butterfly Dreams and link them to the poem below. The children speak about their dreams for the future and what they would like to achieve this year. In PSHE, the children write down their dreams on butterfly cut outs which are displayed in their classrooms.
At the end of the school year, the children discuss and reflect on their Butterfly Dreams and celebrate their successes.
We also use 'Austin's Butterfly' example to help teachers, support staff and students to strive to achieve their best:
"Austin was a first-grade student in Boise, Idaho who created a scientific drawing of a butterfly for a note card that would be sold to raise funds for butterfly habitats. Ron shows students six drafts of this drawing, and elicits their kind, specific and helpful critique to consider how each draft could improve. The progress of the drawing from a primitive first draft to an impressive final draft is a powerful message for educators: we often settle for low-quality work because we underestimate the capacity of students to create great work. With time, clarity, critique and support, students are capable of much more than we imagine."
Click the picture below to watch the video about Austin's Butterfly: