The real cowgirl by Isabelle Duff and Susannah Crispe

Sal wants to be a real cowgirl. At home, she feels safe and strong out riding with her pony through the paddocks, up the biggest hills, doing circus tricks and helping out around the farm. But at school she feels anxious, shy and isolated, even though she would dearly love to be brave, strong, wild, smart, kind, fierce, a good friend - like a real cowgirl.. And then one day, she finds the courage to tell the class about her life beyond the school walls, and things start to change...

Told from the perspective of her pony, this is a story to inspire those whose home life is different to their school life to open up to their peers because you never know who might be behind the school-face, particularly during this time when despite the connectivity of the online world, kids can be really disconnected, not popping in and out of neighbourhood homes of friends like previous generations did. There are likely to be all sorts of interests, abilities and talents hidden from view in the schoolyard where it is easy to be alone in a crowd.

Decades ago, when I first began my teaching career I was mentored by an outstanding colleague and I always remember the first lesson I watched her do - she made up a song about being special (I still recall the words and tune) and offered each child the opportunity to tell the class something about themselves that the others didn't know. The impact that it had as the kids shared the stuff that made them unique individuals was amazing, not just on the cohesion of the class but also on my own teaching. I was reminded that I was teaching students not subjects and my job, first and foremost, was to enrich and enhance the person already there by opening up new pathways for them to explore and learn. Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us in this story. Let us make it our job for the Sals to shine.

Themes: Anxiety, Bravery.

Barbara Braxton