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The whole poem is written mainly from a child's perspective, almost as shout-out to their parents, teachers and the educational system about how they learn, and how they have been made to learn. 

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The whole poem is written mainly from a child's perspective, almost as shout-out to their parents, teachers and the educational system about how they learn, and how they have been made to learn. 

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In the first part of the poem, the child shares their main message - that all children learn differently and can each be taught in many different ways. 

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In the first part of the poem, the child shares their main message - that all children learn differently and can each be taught in many different ways. 

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100 is a number often associated as a “whole” – like in 100%, aiming for 100 marks in a test – but at the same time, 100 is also part of a larger whole in the realm of numbers. The symbolism of using 100 in this poem is to signify that each child is made up of 100 different languages; from the way they communicate, to the way they think, learn, and love. However, beyond the 100 languages in one individual child, there are many other hundreds of children who may have their own 100 languages.

As such, this part of the text serves as a reminder that the children that I work with learn in many different ways, understand what I teach in different ways and demonstrate their understanding in different ways. This is something that is often talked about when we talk about the "Universal Design of Learning" and is definitely something I try to incorporate in my lesson planning. From the use of various teaching tools and approaches, and differentiating the lesson materials, content and expectations for different children; I often think of creative ways to deliver the lesson so as to engage children at varying levels. For example, using water play as a way to teach children about measurement and quantity.

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The second part details the child's experience being in the educational system and how their own beliefs have been challenged.

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The second part details the child's experience being in the educational system and how their own beliefs have been challenged.

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This part of the poem is almost like a summary of the messages that the child has been told, either verbally or non-verbally about the culture of the educational system. "But they take away ninety-nine" symbolizes how in the classroom, different children, regardless of their learning preferences are often made to follow one single method of learning. It describes the "one size fits all" approach in many classrooms whereby children have been made to feel like there is only one way to look at a problem, only one way to solve a problem and only one way to learn.

Reading this made me reflect a lot about my own experiences, both as a student and as a teacher. As a student, I was often bored and uninterested during lessons as the typical 'teacher talk, student listen' approach was not engaging at all, and I often turned to doodling in class or talking to my table-mates instead. My own experiences helped to shape my own teaching methods as I often try to refrain from using one sole method to teach. However, I do sometimes feel the constraints of the educational system and feel the inner conflict of ensuring that my students are well-prepared for the rigour of the present educational system, and ensuring that they are able to learn in the way they do best. I do believe greatly that children learn best through play, but at the same time, I also worry that if I do not begin to establish certain routines and expectations at an earlier stage, the children that I work with will face great difficulties when moving onto higher education institutions. This becomes increasingly worrying when I speak to parents that I have worked with previously or friends who are teaching in mainstream schools and hear about stories of children with special needs who are struggling to cope with the rigour and structure. I guess this is a conflict that I have yet to resolve but will continue to reflect upon and explore, and with time and more experience, may I find a way to help children continue to believe in their 100 languages :)