Having a baby in school can benefit all involved
THE fifth class pupils in a disadvantaged area of Dublin have just welcomed the baby into their classroom. She’s three months old and she’s here to teach these 11-year-olds about emotional literacy. She’s crying — seemingly inconsolable — in her mum’s arms.
For several minutes, the 25 pupils try to guess why baby’s crying and suggest ways to soothe her: “Could she be scared? It’s her first time here.” “Maybe she’s hot, take off her jacket.” They ask baby’s mum what they can do. She says a song sometimes helps. So the whole class sings ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’, very low. They sing it twice before baby calms.
