Weston-Super-Mare Pier Under ConstructionOn Wednesday I went to Weston Super Mare to present certificates to children who had been doing the Quest Seekers Summer Reading Challenge and give a bit of a story too. North Somerset had been very keen on Dragons during the quest, and the Winter Gardens venue was decked out with Dragons. This made me change my prepared story to Monster Boy – Dragon Danger, which, I think, went down well.
Marine Parade Weston-super-mareI used to go to weston as a child and chipped my front tooth on the bumper cars on the pier. The Marine Parade is looking very sorry for itself at the moment. The Fire on the pier really was the last straw for a town that has been going downhill for a while. But- It really feels like something is happening now. The Front is being rebuilt, as is the pier, which is due to be a thing of wonder once it is finished. The largest indoor entertainment venue in Europe and the top pier in the world. Whoops! I forgot the front legs. I knew something was missing.
Good luck Weston and thanks for a great evening, effortlessly organised by North Somerset Libraries.
I had a lovely day, yesterday at Pillowell School, not far from me in the Forest of Dean, but well hidden down a tiny lane. You’s never know it was there if there wasn’t a sign.
At last, we seem to be coming out of the tyranny of Literacy and Pillowell have remembered that the story is important, not just the text, and that stories often have illustrations too!
A lot of the children had been on my drawing school website and had brought in their offerings. It was great to see that they had followed my instructions online, but had then gone and added their own ideas and personality too. My cute little kitten lesson had turned into a cute little vampire kitten in one case!
I love doing drawing with children. They all draw the same picture, but each is entirely different. It’s down to how they see things, hand-eye coordination, how much they do on their own – many different things – but they can all draw – even the ones who say they cant can, with a little bit of coaxing.
And it was a lovely sunny day too! Thanks too, for a great day.
On Monday I went to Whitchurch School, near Ross on Wye. Small groups of children had been brought along from other local primaries fro the morning. These children were all blessed with dyslexia and other similar language gifts.
Am I being over-politically correct saying that dyslexia is a blessing? I think not. Of course in a world of type and written language it can hold you back, but that is the world as perceived by language blessed people, who tend to be in the majority and tend to be the majority in the field of education.
Of course, when I were a lad, I was just called thick and stupid and sent to sit at the back of the class. I’d love to know if I needed glasses even then and couldn’t see the board properly.
If everyone could write brilliantly, what a boring world we would live in. Where would be the master chefs, the the artists, the cushion-makers, the entertainers and the carers?
It was great to talk to the children and show them the methods I’ve worked out over the years. I noticed one or two having that, “I’m like that!” moment. I’m afraid, in the end, I couldn’t offer too much other than to work methodically through the problem and to work hard at it. That is pretty much the answer to everything. But within my methodical system, I have a large chunk devoted to the creative part. And that was what these children seemed to really enjoy, full of ideas, imagination and possibilities. There always comes a time though, when you have to stop the fun, decide what to do wit h what you’ve got and do the work. That is the hard part whether you are dyslexic or not. That is about self discipline.
When I was young, we were maybe taught self-discipline a bit more. All our teachers had been through the second world war – my history teacher had been a tail gunner in a Lancaster – his nerves were shot, but we respected him all the same. I was an army brat, went to boarding school and was in the Cubs an Scouts. The education we had was basically training us for the services or some kind of colonial duty. Maybe I learned some self discipline from all of that.
I do wonder now, when we bribe children to read, with prizes and stickers, whether that might be detrimental to the cause. Reading is its own pleasure and prize. Getting a sticker at the end distorts the aim. A prize for analysis or for reading out loud maybe but the act and art of reading should be its own reward – or you are reading a rotten book!
Planning for the story of the ElieflyAnyway – enough of that!
We came up with a great story about the ElieFly that invaded the school at lunchtime. I won’t go into all the gross detail. Suffice to say it had a neat ending when the gym wallbars were converted into the world’s largest flyswat! and quick end with a lot of middle and a beginning that probably needs a bit more work!
