A really dear friend of the Lighthouse told me that I needed to be patient to get it started, and there would be a point when it morphs into its own being and starts to fly. I can see little wings beginning to form; not quite ready for flight yet, but patience is certainly starting to pay off!
Story Club has wrapped up for another term. We had very few students attend, but I am looking at the positives; I had 4 solid weeks of working one-on-one with Despoina, a quiet, beautiful, creative soul who is moving schools and I may never cross paths with again. I was really sad once I heard she was leaving! But I think (hoping that I don't sound boastful) that maybe in those four weeks she got a little bit of what she needed.... a friendly smile in a big, daunting school yard; confirmation that "damn, girl, you can write"; and what LRH is all about - her story got heard. She was valued. I had 4 x 40 uninterrupted minutes during which I just listened. Sometimes she talked about serious, real life stuff. Sometimes she spoke about the story she was planning to write. Sometimes we laughed about the silly things we could see happening through the window in the school yard. I will miss Despoina a lot, but I am extremely grateful for the time I spent with her!
I ran a short writing workshop with a Year 7 class, showing them different ways to go about terrifying their teacher when they submit their next assessment task: Haunted House stories. Oh my goodness what a fun group they were! And I learned lots about how workshops differ from school work... I'm looking forward to visiting their class next week and seeing how spooky they can be! I'm so glad I got to spend some time with these kids and get a glimpse of what they're made of!
We are also in the middle of seeking and securing grants - happily, Patterson Lakes Retirement Village are contributing $1000 to LRH! We are looking to obtain some more workshop materials and some marketing to help get the word out. How lucky we are to be able to do so!
Wings are starting to grow.... and the wind beneath them will be my gratitude for this wonderful project that is so much bigger than the sum of its parts. If you want to see the Lighthouse take off, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or come along to our workshops in June!
Rx
Story Club has wrapped up for another term. We had very few students attend, but I am looking at the positives; I had 4 solid weeks of working one-on-one with Despoina, a quiet, beautiful, creative soul who is moving schools and I may never cross paths with again. I was really sad once I heard she was leaving! But I think (hoping that I don't sound boastful) that maybe in those four weeks she got a little bit of what she needed.... a friendly smile in a big, daunting school yard; confirmation that "damn, girl, you can write"; and what LRH is all about - her story got heard. She was valued. I had 4 x 40 uninterrupted minutes during which I just listened. Sometimes she talked about serious, real life stuff. Sometimes she spoke about the story she was planning to write. Sometimes we laughed about the silly things we could see happening through the window in the school yard. I will miss Despoina a lot, but I am extremely grateful for the time I spent with her!
I ran a short writing workshop with a Year 7 class, showing them different ways to go about terrifying their teacher when they submit their next assessment task: Haunted House stories. Oh my goodness what a fun group they were! And I learned lots about how workshops differ from school work... I'm looking forward to visiting their class next week and seeing how spooky they can be! I'm so glad I got to spend some time with these kids and get a glimpse of what they're made of!
We are also in the middle of seeking and securing grants - happily, Patterson Lakes Retirement Village are contributing $1000 to LRH! We are looking to obtain some more workshop materials and some marketing to help get the word out. How lucky we are to be able to do so!
Wings are starting to grow.... and the wind beneath them will be my gratitude for this wonderful project that is so much bigger than the sum of its parts. If you want to see the Lighthouse take off, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or come along to our workshops in June!
Rx