Date: 10/03/08
Dear Gary
I should like to express to you the sadness experienced by so many of my colleagues when they heard of Marlene's passing. I know that your sense of loss is something we cannot understand. However, I wonder if you can find some comfort in the spontaneous statements made to me by people who had worked in various ways with her as fellow Learning Mentors.
As Learning Mentor Co-ordinator, I met Marlene in her School and in meetings elsewhere. She always found no difficulty in communicating honest and forthright opinions much to the benefit of those around her. It always seemed to me that she progressed matters and moved things to the heart of every issue.
I saw her working with parents and young children, and she was obviously in her element. Both the parents and the children seemed to respond to her natural and easy promptings as well as to the organised environment which she had created.
I also saw her developing a breakfast club which she initiated before the school day began. Here again there was a clear mood of efficient organisation linked to her personal energy which drove things along. All the children as well as the other adults enjoyed her good humour and seemed to copy it very readily.
As a Learning Mentor. she showed the essential characteristic of initiative in the attempt to remove barriers to learning. She didn't mind disagreeing with people and , although they in turn didn't mind disagreeing with her, we knew she had the interests of children at heart. For this she will be remembered.
Please accept my deepest sympathy for you and your family.
Yours sincerely
Roger Shelton
SALFORD LEARNING MENTORILEARNING SUPPORT UNIT STRAND COORDINATOR (EiC) |
