• I was so busy staring out at the view from the staff room yesterday, I quite forgot to take a picture for my blog. Perched at the top of the Forest of Dean, the school really does have a forest view and well beyond into Wales, with the Sugarloaf Mountain in Abergavenny, Hay Bluff and the Black Mountains visible in the distance and the Forest of Dean spread out below. Quite magnificent.

    I had a great day telling stories to the whole school yesterday. Forest View are at the start of a week of raising the profile of reading with Cinderford Library which, astonishingly, is facing possible closure.

    I cannot repeat enough that reading for pleasure is the key to advancement in education. Literacy, as taught in schools today, is what we used to call grammar. Real education comes with the confidence to read, research and find things out on one’s own. Literacy does not prepare you for this. It may help you correct the spelling in a book but it won’t help you understand what the book is saying. Only sustained reading of fun, exciting and engaging stories and non-fiction books will ever increase reading ability, which automatically follows on into raised writing skills. You can’t improve your writing if you never see it being done! And what is there to write about if children have no experience of the world? Reading brings the world to their imaginations.

    Forest View seem to understand this and are busy promoting reading throughout the school. I’m looking forward to meeting up again at Cinderford Library on Saturday to present prizes to Children who have excelled this week. See you then!

  • The Ginger Ninja has a FaceBook page! You can keep up with Ginger developments easily by clicking here and liking the Ginger Ninja Page.

  • I’d like to tell you about a website called More than a Fish. I know little about the author and artist other than they posted my videos on their old blog – that’s what drew me to their site.

    Actually, I assume it’s a he. This is because the old site was called “Crap Artist” and that sounds like male self-deprication. I didn’t think that title was at all fair. Novice Artist might have been okay, but just because you are learning does not mean you are no good. I sent an email imploring the site owner to change the name of the blog as it it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy – call yourself crap and that is what you will become. It was evident that the artist was working very hard and was a serious student of drawing.

    As soon as I sent the send button, I regretted it. I felt like an interfering busy-body. I had no reply. I wondered if I had put the artist off – ruined their dreams – blown their fragile self-confidence.

    And now I see that someone else is referring visitors to my site. A new name I did not recognise – More than a Fish. It is the same artist and they have changed the name and outlook of their site. It looks upbeat and professional and I get a mention in the about page, so I consider myself forgiven for my intrusion!

    Artists are the worst people in the world for self-deprication and low self-confidence. One minute they will imagine they are the new Picasso or Shakespeare and the next minute they will be telling themselves how useless they are and descending into the depths of despond. One’s art is something that grows everyday, as More Than A Fish says in his strapline, he’s learning to draw, one sketch at a time.

    And that’s how it works. Don’t look at and dwell on the bad parts of your work. Just accept them and tell yourself you will improve. Improvement comes through analysis and practice. Look at the best part of your work and be proud of your achievement so far. But also know that it is not the best that you can do. Everything can be improved upon.

    Good luck More Than A Fish – and keep working at it – I hope you will soon be proud enough of your work to add your name and not be anonymous! p.s. Hope you don’t mind me showing your drawings.”