The Student Who Named His Penguin David

Recently I had a student come back to visit the school where I'd been an education support worker for just over a year. He'd left because it wasn't quite the right fit for him, he found a school that suited him better, and we were all genuinely happy about that. He had a love for penguins, and he returned to say his goodbyes.

His mum arranged for him to come after school so he could say farewell to the support staff and his favourite teachers. I organised a penguin for him, a soft toy he could keep, and I wrote him a card and got him some penguin stickers.

We were waiting outside the staffroom when he arrived. He saw us from across the way. And the first thing he did was run over and give me a hug.

I had never fully realised the effect I'd had on him. In education, the rules are clear: you're not supposed to have that kind of physical contact with students. But to have that hug, even now, it almost brings me to tears. At the time I was genuinely touched. And his mum gave me a look that said everything: yes. You've made a difference.

I gave him the present. He pulled out the card and read it carefully. I'd written him a personal message, and because he loved penguins so much, I included a penguin fact that related to something in his life, something about how penguins grow and find their place in the world.

When he pulled out the toy penguin, his mum asked: what are you going to call him?

He thought for a moment. Then he said: I'm going to call him David.

“His mum said to me: Dave, you're probably the reason he lasted so long at this school. And that's how I knew I'd made a difference.”

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That's my name.

His mum and I looked at each other. We both had tears in our eyes. It was one of the most beautiful moments I've experienced, not just in my career, but in my life.

And then he came over and gave me a second hug and said: I've really missed you. It had only been a week since he'd left the school. That just about broke me, if I'm honest.

We spoke for a while after that. He told me how his new school was going, that he felt like he fit in, that he was enjoying it, that it felt right. But that he missed me.

And then his mum said something that I still think about.

She said: Dave, you're probably the reason he lasted so long at this school.

That's how I knew I'd made a difference in his life.

You don't always get that. Working in education support, you think you're helping, but you rarely know for certain. Students are protective about the emotions they show, especially in front of other kids. To see him outside of that context, to have him tell me he missed me, to get four hugs, to watch him name a penguin after me, made every small effort I'd ever made worthwhile.

The money you get as an education support worker isn't great. Anyone in the role will tell you that. But there is no value you can put on moments like that. I will carry that one with me for the rest of my life, not just as a professional memory, but as one of the most special moments I've ever had.

If you're thinking about becoming an education support worker, that's one of the many reasons you should.