Ruth’s letter that became Twitter hit
EDGE Hill graduate Ruth Clarkson has been astounded by the public reaction to a letter she sent to one of her pupils, praising his skills and talents that she said SATs couldn’t measure.
The letter to 11-year-old Ben Twist to accompany the annual SATs results became a viral sensation after it was shared online by Ben’s mum Gail, who was moved by the sensitivity shown to her autistic son.
In the letter, Ruth explains that the “tests only measure a little bit of you and your abilities,” and praises Ben’s other talents including his kindness and ability to make and keep friends.
She wrote: “We are so pleased that all of these different talents and abilities make you the special person you are and these are all of the things we measure to reassure us that you are always making progress and continuing to develop as a lovely, bright young man. Well done Ben, we are very proud of you.”
Gail shared the letter on Twitter where it has been ‘liked’ over 10,000 times.
She said: “Ben worked so hard and sitting the tests was a massive achievement. We knew the results were coming but to get a letter like that – I got part way through it and I burst into tears.”
Since the letter was made public the story has picked up national and international news coverage, with Ruth being interviewed by both BBC and ITV news as well as a TV station in the USA.
Ruth added: “The reaction has been overwhelming and completely unexpected. I’ve always thought it was important to write each pupil a separate letter to make it relevant to that person.
“It’s very important to me that we measure children not just through their test results but through all of their other qualities and talents.
“The response has been phenomenal and not something I could have anticipated but, for me, the best part has been how happy Ben and his family have been with the letter.
“I had the best four years at Edge Hill, there’s a group of six of us who all stayed in John Dalton together and we still meet up a few times a year. I still live nearby so it’s fantastic to see all of the changes to the campus and how different it looks.”
Ruth graduated from Edge Hill in 1995 with a BA (Hons) Social Sciences with Qualified Teaching Status and is now Assistant Head Teacher at Lansbury Bridge College in St Helens.