London Schools
I have just visited a few more London schools and it was most certainly a successful week. So how do I measure success? By the kids responses and interaction of course. I did not count how many Year 5 & 6 kids I saw, but there was at least 260 of the little darlings. They were from different cultures and social backgrounds but all eager to meet an author and hear where the inspiration came from for the Chavos stories.
We talked about poverty, street life, abandonment, abuse and neglect. We touched on drugs and bullying, then moved on to discuss creative writing and finally the determination we need in life to succeed. As I have learnt, ‘when the going gets tough, we simply have to get tougher.’ With the thoughts of Social Enterprise firmly implanted in their minds and the ‘Street Kid Code,’ (which can be found in the back of the first Chavos novel) I left feeling tired but knowing and having the satisfaction that they were going to continue Chavosing…finishing off word searches, developing their own characters and building a story around those characters. Discussing social issues and what they could do themselves to improve life in their school or their local community, the kids were all inspired and challenged.
I am looking forward to reading some of the stories and getting the feedback from those teachers who asked me to keep in touch and re-visit in the New Year. So until I pick up some more schools in the city in February what are my plans? Well hopefully some quiet time, lots of writing and much research needed for the third Chavos book. And most certainly a trip to Mexico.
Chat soon
Anna
