I am going to give warning about this blog - it is very personal and some information may be difficult to read. However, it is also hopefully an uplifting story of the power of education, and in particular reading.
I grew up in a family on benefits. There were no expectations for me. My life was pretty much mapped out to follow in the family footsteps of working in a factory, with no aspirations for what my life could be. My dad has severe bi-polar disorder. My childhood consisted of going to visit him in the "mental hospital", worrying about when he would next attempt to take his own life, which happened an a regular basis, or "day trips" to see his psychiatrist. My mum, whilst supporting my dad, was emotionally cut off from us as children. I do not partition any blame on either of them - they had their own struggles which are real.
I do not really remember my childhood, it definitely was not a happy one. We did not have any experiences. We did not have the money for holidays or day trips. My lived experiences were playing in the garden, on the road in front of our house or getting up to mischief with my friends building dens in the most inappropriate places (such on top of a dilapidated factory roof!).
However, I was lucky. I found books. Books are my first love. They taught me how to love. They taught me how to feel emotions. They gave me strong and positive role models. They gave me values. They gave me aspirations to be better than I am. They allowed me to escape. This escapism saved my life - quite literally. I do wonder what I would have become if I did not have books in my life. I would have been more aware of what my dad was doing without reading. My brother often accuses me of not caring or knowing what went on our life. I disagree with this, but I can see his viewpoint. I was lucky, I found my escapism, he didn't until he was a teen and found recreational drugs. Again, this would have very easily been a route I could have followed, but reading kept me on the straight and narrow.
My earliest memories of books was picking up my first copy of The Famous Five - Five on Treasure Island. Here I was transported to an amazing world of adventure, characters I fell in love with and with such vivid imagery I was actually there. I would often go into my own little world and people would talk to me, but I would not actually hear them talk to me. I would block out my surroundings and be safe in my own comforting world. The Famous Five gave me experiences I could never get in real life - I actually went to Treasure Island, I would be on a rowing boat in the sea, I was playing on the beach with them, I would go camping with them. These experiences felt real to me and I will always remember how they made me feel alive. I must have read the entire series non-stop for at least two years - it was safe, the characters were my friends and I knew that things would be OK in the end.
I then progressed onto The Adventure Series. What a rip roaring ride that was. I was thrust into the middle of adventures that I lived and breathed. I could not wait to get home to pick the book up again and carry it on. Now I reflect on it, I think the thing I loved the most was there was a strong male character - Bill - who loved the children, looked after them and did everything to keep them safe. It was an eye opener for me and has definitely helped shape my view on life and how I want to be a father.
I would devour anything by Enid Blyton after these adventures - The Naughtiest Girl in School, Mallory Towers, Secret Seven. I remember an obsession with The Animals of Farthing Wood. I was obsessed with a book called Fox by Glyn Frewer. As a young teen, I moved onto books such as Jurassic Park, Congo, and Schindler's List. I just read and read and read. I would read anything put in front of me - cereal boxes, magazines, newspapers and any random book. I did not moan about reading for school. Revision was easy for me, because it involved more reading. It was everything to me.
It is quite telling that my best memories of childhood revolves around books. From about the age of 7 or 8, I would walk to the local library by myself on a Saturday morning and stay there for hours. Surrounded with words. Surrounded with the most magical places. Safe. No worries. The outside world was locked away. I would read and read and read. I would borrow books to take them home and read some more. What a wonderful place libraries are and it saddens me to see their demise now. Without libraries, where would I have gone?
This love of reading has carried me through difficult times in my life. I have temporarily flirted with other forms of escapism but always come back to my first love. Even to this day, I live every book I read, I fall in love with characters, I laugh, I cry, I get annoyed with them, I live their lives with them and I feel lost when I finish a book, only to fall in love all over again with the next character.
For me, this is why reading should be the cornerstone of any school curriculum. Reading improved my academic performance. It taught me new skills. It taught me how to write. It taught me life values. It taught me that hard work trumps all. If we teach all children to read, to love reading, we teach them a skill for life. It opens doors and gives them opportunities. It can give children aspirations to be something better than they expect to be. As teachers it is our duty to do this.
I would like to thank all authors out there - without reading your books and joining your imaginary worlds, I would be lost. Thank you!