The kids arrived yesterday as usual and I was in the kitchen attempting to make a pavlova.. Well a meringue anyway. That was attempt number 2 in as many days.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom I am determined to nail this. That particular meringue LOOKED great but got stuck to the baking tray which was seriously annoying. Later in the evening after dinner we watched an episode of our planet which I loved and then I went to bed.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom

Today was a nice day of not doing a lot because it was raining all day but I played around in the kitchen for hours making another meringue – this one didn’t stick to the baking tray but the shape was ridiculous LOL… and then making homemade burgers and homemade chips etc which was nice.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom I LOVE nothing more than being in the kitchen making food or baking things. I find it so relaxing and so fun and as horrible as it might sound, I quite like the time to just be!Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom I find it much nicer than watching tele or playing on my phone like everyone else was doing.

My stepdaughter who is 13, 14 soon came and sat in the kitchen with me and we were having a cup of tea and chatting about random stuff when she said “I had a mental breakdown at school the other day”.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom I was caught off-guard by what she said as it is completely out of character and I said back to her ” a mental breakdown? What do you mean by that?” and she smiled – looking awkward or embarrassed – and said “I just burst out crying and couldn’t stop”.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom

Anger aside, I made sure I said the things I felt were the most important. I reassured her that she is beautiful, that her hair is lovely, that hair colour was no different to people that have different eye colour or people who are fat or thin or people who are tall or small or people who have green eyes or blue – we are all different – but we ALL deserve to be treated kindly and respected.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom I told her I just did not understand the mentality of these immature boys.

We chatted about this for a very long time, about 2 hours I think.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom she told me that she didn’t like to talk to anyone about her feelings and that she liked to bottle things up inside. She told me she didn’t like telling people her problems and that if she ever did, she instantly regretted it afterwards.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom I spoke to her about how much it helps to talk to people about your feelings and worries. I told her how much it helps – even if the other person can’t help, that just sharing the weight with someone else can take such a load off.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom I thought it was SO important to try and get her to believe me that bottling things up is never the way forward that I ended up telling her a big secret… that I speak to a lady once a week who helps me with all of my feelings and my worries about things and how helpful that is.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom I told her it doesn’t have to be someone that knows her well. It doesn’t have to be her friends or her family – that if she ever wanted to talk to someone who was completely uninvolved, that we could help sort that for her.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom

We spoke about depression and how sometimes people can feel hopeless and depressed because they try to carry everything they are upset, angry, worried about on their own and then they tie themselves up in knots – she seemed to understand this.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom her mother’s ex-boyfriend killed himself a few years ago from depression. I didn’t bring that up but she did and I said as gently as I could, that is how important it is that she doesn’t struggle on her own and that there is ALWAYS someone who can help, always.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom

I made it clear that she has every right to be able to walk around her school and not feel scared. That she should ALWAYS feel safe. I asked her what she did in response to these horrible boys and she said she just ignored them.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom she said they often pick her out of a crowd and how everyone laughs. She said that when she cried at school the other day, she didn’t even tell her friends the reason why she was crying because she is ashamed!!!!Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom SHE is ashamed! Those boys I swear to god.

I asked her what she would like to do, how she thought things could help.. What did she want to do?Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom I gave her some suggestions, we could speak to a teacher or the school nurse.. Could she confide in her very closest friend so that at least someone else at school could be there for her?Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom did she want me to get her dad to come and join this conversation? We went over things a lot for a long, long time.

She cried. She told me that one of the reasons she didn’t like talking about things was because it made her get upset and cry and she didn’t know why.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom as she said that, she cried. I got up and gave her a huge hug. I sat next to her and I told her it was okay to cry, that I cry whenever I need to.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom I told her that if she doesn’t cry, she might find she gets headaches or she can’t sleep etc.. That it is always, always best to just let it out!!Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom

She said she read that writing can help but it didn’t help her because it was still like telling herself. I told her that I understood that but for me personally it can help if you are confused about something, sometimes you just write and then it all makes sense.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom sometimes it just helps to get it all out of your head and onto the page. Maybe it wouldn’t help her, but maybe it would.

In the end, I offered to tell her dad after she had gone home tonight and that we could ring her mum once she was in bed.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom I said we could ask her mum not to talk about it to her in front of her brothers or before school and I even suggested that perhaps when her mum did talk to her about it, she did so during walking their dog so that they didn’t have to sit facing each other because sometimes it is less difficult when you don’t have to face someone.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom she liked that idea.

Before she left to go home tonight, I checked that she was happy for me to speak to her dad (and for him to speak to her mum) and that I would never betray her confidence and I wouldn’t tell anyone she didn’t want me to BUT that I felt it was very important they knew so we could all help her and at least be there to give advice or listen or have a cuddle.Cognitive learning theories applied in the classroom she said yes please. Please do tell them both. (I could have cried from the relief that she agreed!!!!).