Mac is a teacher at a Special Educational Needs school in England, he runs the breakfast club every single morning. We couldn’t do our work without people like Mac! Read on for his story…
Serving magic breakfasts makes my day, every day. That’s why I do it… the students make me smile, and there is simply no better way to start the day.”
Mac, Breakfast Hero
Increasingly adept, these days, at carrying several bottles of milk, a couple of loaves of bread and plenty of fruit all at once, I make my usual morning journey to my little kitchen, laden with breakfast supplies!
Here, I’ll butter bread, pour cups of milk and prepare fruit bags for my students’ daily magic breakfast, and kick off both mine and their daily routines.
Routine is a key reason why I am at school every day before my paid hours start… for our students with special educational needs, breakfast isn’t just an important part of daily nutrition, but also a critical part of a regular schedule which helps students to manage their daily activities and thrive in their environment.
For any child, consistency is positive, and this is even more the case as the cost of living crisis presents new challenges and life changes for us all to navigate. Our kids can be sure that, no matter what, they can come to school each morning, be greeted by a friendly face, enjoy a breakfast with their friends and have a bit of fun.
I have also seen the clear knock-on effect that breakfast has on students’ mood and their concentration in class. The improvement in reading skills that we have seen as a result of providing brekkies has been fantastic!
I like to find the learning and engagement opportunities in every morning interaction, too… I ask all the kids to tell me the amounts of toast, bagels, fruit and milk they want, and I often challenge them with fun joke or riddle to have a guess at! Seeing the growth in confidence of our students over the past year has been a huge win for me and for the school.
Two children always have a little dance at the hatch whilst they wait for their breakfast – and I always join in! Small moments like this mean the world to me… seeing their kids shrug off their insecurities and begin talking, smiling and dancing with me in the morning is truly amazing!
It really is the most important meal, isn’t it? It shapes lives.
The Oaks would like to thank Mac for his hard work and dedication to the school every day… Mac comes in early to prepare breakfast out of the goodness of his own heart so that breakfast is 100% ready for everyone when the doors open every day. He goes above and beyond in his role and the relationship he has formed with the children is outstanding. He is second to none, and seeing the growth in our children through communication, confidence and humour has been a joy to witness – thanks Mac!
Mac’s Colleague