This is Wesley Bear. He is possibly one of the most well travelled bears in the world. For the last 11 years he has been part of my class. When I started training to be a teacher I bought adopted Wesley (He was already named).

Helping in the kitchen

When I got my first class (4 year olds) – We called it ‘Reception class’ then – I introduced Wesley Bear to the class bear. Each and every weekend he would (and still does) go home with one of the children. (A great reward for good behaviour).

Wesley goes sailing (One of the mums made a lifejacket for him)

The children in the class, and in all the classes that I have taught, have fallen in love with Wesley Bear. They cannot wait to have their turn to look after him.

He’s been taken on some wonderful trips around the world. There are times that I wish I could swap places with my teddy so that I could travel in his place. (I wish). The idea is for the children to look after him and to show him wonderful sights around the world. They take photographs, send postcards back to the school and add a little stamp to his passport. He’s been on more that 100 trips abroad!

Wesley in San Marino

After 11 years of travelling around the world with the children in my classes, with family and friends and with colleagues, I have quite a collection of photos. The children love to look at them and it provides a wonderful tool for exploring holidays and travel in class.

Just a couple of Wesley's holiday snaps!

He’s met dolphins in Israel, camels in the Canary Islands, lizards and seals in the Galapagus Islands and enjoyed Champagne in France! Oh what a life for a bear!

This shows where Wesley Bear has been taken since March 6th 2000.

This beats my map of world travel.

One of the best parts is listening to the children when they bring Wesley Bear back to school. They are alive with enthusiasm and are eager to tell stories of what he’s been up to. Some of the children tell me that Wesley has been naughty, he’s made their bedrooms a mess or that he’s had a holiday romance. Oh yes, I’ve heard a lot.

My favourite picture.