I have spent years doing workshops with children in my own three children’s classes as they have gone through school, mainly in primary schools plus the odd one at Brownies and Cubs.
Teachers were biting my hand off to get me in and thanking me profusely afterwards. The kids loved meeting a ‘real life journalist’ and some of them who professed to ‘not like’ writing surprised themselves by thoroughly enjoying the class.
One day I realised that this could be taken further and give me a business of my own while doing something I’m passionate about – talking to young people about journalism. My first workshop at the Deepings School in Lincolnshire left me buzzing. One Year 8 student came up to me afterwards: “Please, please come back again,” she said: “We want to go into town and find a story and come back and write it up!”
The school, a mixed comprehensive which has recently become an Enterprise Academy, welcomed the learning experience, and indeed a TA who sat at the back of the lesson during the two hours I was with the students said she had never seen the children so enthralled and engaged.
I am continuing to write freelance articles for several publications. This keeps my workshops fresh and up-to-date as I can show students something I have recently worked on which is current and interesting.
Give me a call or drop me an email – and find out what I can do for your students and your school.