I have an immense appreciation for Ros Bayley
I recently heard that Ros Bayley died and I felt a deep sense of loss and also an immense appreciation to her for all that she contributed to us in early years; for her joy, fun, intelligence and wisdom. I want to offer my condolences to all who knew and loved Ros, especially to her family.
Ros will be missed by us all and also always remembered. Ros was a treasure and I believe the whole of heaven lit up when she entered.
Getting to know Ros
My experience of getting to know Ros Bayley personally, was when we trained together in the early 1990’s in Bristol. We were both attending a “TOT” programme, which is the High/Scope Trainer of Trainers programme. This was the first time the programme had been delivered in the UK. I remember that it seemed like the first time I was able to be myself in a learning situation. As we relaxed we shared our life experiences, explored our beliefs and attitudes around our own childhood as well as our interactions as parents and as early years professions and trainers. This training was amazing because it not only changed my practice but also my life due to the people I met on this programme.
The discussions we had inside the classroom, during breaks and later back at the hotel were enlightening and often fuelled with good food and wine. My experience of Ros during this period was that she was warm and embracing. She was authentic.
Her message was absolutely serious about our work with children and at the same time it was playful and she loved to have fun…Her inner child was fully alive.
Years later, I met her at a High/Scope conference.
We met in the toilets, just before she was about to deliver a talk to hundreds of practitioners. She told me that she was feeling nervous, which for some reason was a surprise to me. In my own mind, I had elevated her to a position which was almost Guru like, which she wouldn’t have wanted at all! Since Ros had travelled all over the world speaking to hundreds of practitioners and had written so many publications, I couldn’t imagine she would be nervous.
I saw Ros once again which reminded me what an amazing woman she was. So creativity with much to give, reminding me that no matter what happens to us, we are the same in so many ways. We are humans that live and die, have fun, celebrate, work, play, feel happiness and pain, fear and shame and sometimes when we are courageous enough to share ourselves with others and put ourselves in centre stage, we feel nervous too.
I sat in the audience, at this conference and I watched her in her full glory as she moved around the platform, explaining how to foster a love of learning through storytelling. She engaged us with her stories which were mesmerising and spoke deeply into the stories of our own lives.
I felt humbled by this experience and grateful to her for reminding me that all we have to offer to others in this life is ourselves. She was doing wonderful works and now she has left us a legacy of wonderful publications and resources and so much more.
As I sit here now thinking of Ros, this poem comes to my mind, I have no idea why, but it did and so I thought I would share it.
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same.
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build’em up with worn-out tools;If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!by Rudyard Kipling
Through her innovative approach and passionate advocacy for play-based learning, Bayley has left an indelible mark on both educators and children alike. Her work is a treasure trove of insights and practical strategies that empower and inspire. Bayley’s dedication to nurturing creativity and curiosity in young learners is truly commendable.
So happy to read your comment Michelle, Ross did indeed leave a legacy and was an woman with much knowledge, understanding and wisdom.My personal memory of her is that she was authentic and such fun to be around, we spent many evenings together with others in a hotel in Bristol over 2 decades ago when we were training in High Scope:)