An inspirational lesson to learn

I was recently asked to teach English (my mother tongue) to a Spanish student who was born blind 50 years ago. My first reaction was: what a bad gig! Instead, I have been humbled.

Imagine: through the miracle of Braille, she can communicate in several languages. When she reads, sometimes exasperatingly slowly, her fingers racing across the keys, it is as if I were teaching a child. But she is not a child and her mind is exceptional. Her face, when she gets an answer right, takes on the ecstatic expression of a medieval saint. What a privilege.

Jonathan Barry
Chichester, West Sussex

Short and tweet

Good luck to all those Scottish tweeters like me who are back at work today. May you live to survive the in-service days.

@dazmck

And number 263 in the “You know you’re on holiday” list: when getting up at 9am is a struggle.

@theprimaryhead

Walked around the East End [of Glasgow] for 20 minutes and no one offered a high five. #ThingsIMissAboutTheGames

@pmusttryharder

I have a dream that one day this nation will have an Open Education Declaration like this: http:declaration.openscot.net #OpenEducation #Tunisia

@yamenbousrih

We have more cops responding better to more cases to get more resources into the system. Victims and their children deserve nothing less.

@JohnCarnochan

Astonished at how many people are judging a book by its cover. Did these people learn nothing in school? #CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory

@afjgillepsie

Kindness. A much underrated quality in teaching - and everything, in fact.

@KaySocLearn

Last night was the scariest night I’ve ever spent in a tent. The world was throwing all the weather at us.

@Hedzie

Letters for publication in TESS should arrive by 10am Monday. Send your letters, ideally of no more than 250 words in length, including contact address and phone number, by email to scotletters@tess.co.uk or by post to TES Scotland, Thistle House, 21-23 Thistle Street, Edinburgh EH2 1DF. Letters may be edited