Saturday 18 May 2013

Success, pride and the pleasures of persistence

No, I haven't finished yet. But I am approaching my final week of training before the 'big week'.

Gains so far 
  • slimmer calves and wrists!
  • increased strength and stamina - which has pay-offs on the allotment, when doing housework (faster), at work (yesterday, since I already had stuff in the other hand, I carried the paper recycling sack downstairs in one hand without strain, negating the need for two trips!)
  •  unexpectedly discovering a long lost friend's picture upon a former colleague's Facebook page and making delighted contact again.
Oh, and the money which has been coming in, thanks to you, though there's still time for more cheques made out to Forest Read Easy Deal and sent to 

Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL)

with my thanks.

As for the waistline & the weight, the jury's still out till after the final swim. Just where should one measure one's waist? I've always put the tape measure around the narrowest part of me as viewed from the front. A good 2 - 2 & 1/2 inches above my navel.

At my recent health check, the nurse measured around my navel. Since these days one's waist size is taken as a good indicator of one's health (some think it more relevant than the traditional height against weight 'Body Mass Index'), surely this is quite important? 

Sometimes reading back over my blogs I worry that all our learners come across as downtrodden people. And that maybe I do too?

One of our first learners was a successful businessman, indeed quite wealthy, so I understand. All his life he had worked hard, both at his business and at covering up his lack of reading ability, even from his own family. 

And like him, despite negative experiences in life, I too have had successes and times of great pride and achievement. Just for balance, I'd like to share some.

Rejoining my profession was a real homecoming for me. My first grouping as a librarian in the Forest of Dean was 'Lydney, Bream, Newnham, Mitcheldean and the Forest Mobile'. I organised the successful 'Poetry on the Fridge Door' event at Lydney, arranging for an exhibition in the library of 'Poetraits' by portrait painter Graham Kershaw. The fabulous library staff got in touch with Biffa and borrowed a defunct fridge so customers could use magnets to write poems on the door.

Two years later after a re-organisation it was 'Cinderford & Coleford' (how I missed the bluebells between the office in Cinderford and Lydney library, along the Soudley route!). Another re-organisation and it's Cinderford, Newnham, Mitcheldean & Newent. For information, Bream, Newnham & Mitcheldean libraries are now run by their communities and Forest Mobile Library is no more.

In my time I've met several authors, some of them famous: Jacqueline Wilson and Andrew Taylor; some very talented but less well known (Cat Weatherill and Jacquelyn Mitchard); I've met children's book author-illustrators, for example Tony de Saulle. Special mentions must go to Shoo Rayner (more about him later) and Hannah Shaw, whose style I so loved I commissioned her to illustrate a rhyme my husband wrote for our children when they were little. She delivered it in person and the last time I met her she told me she still has her copy of it on her studio wall. I follow her career with great affection.

To a large extent, it was me who project managed the 'client side' of the refurbishment of Cinderford Library. Even 2 or 3 years later I would still fill with enormous pride when someone saw it for the first time, doing that slight double take: ' Wow! Isn't this a lovely library?'

And I would think 'Yes! I chose those colours!', 'I worked out that layout that everyone says works so well!', 'That piece of furniture in the children's zone that the children love, and that draws their attention to the 'start to read' books displayed on it and encourages them to borrow more - I chose that and argued the case for having it!'

So - success!

I have helped possibly more than a hundred people begin to access the internet for themselves as part of my role as local librarian. One to one, or at most two. Tuning in to their existing levels of understanding and ability, their motivations for wanting to learn, taking cues from their own interests. Taking them as I would put it 'from where they are now, further towards where they wanted to be'. Very much as FRED coaches do with FRED learners, I think.

Some people were literally shaking with nerves. Some were so grateful they wanted to kiss me afterwards (we made do with heartfelt handshakes!)

I still think it was one of the best things we ever did as a service, empowering people to access information in the modern world way. I still think it was a great USP for the library service. A great 'in' to showing off what else the free library service can offer (and it is amazing how many people still don't know that they can belong to the library for free, that it has already been paid for by their taxes).  I've not only lent books about learning computer skills on the back of this but books about football, art, textiles - you name it, & fiction as well.

A tale of personal pride, then. And the pleasures of persistence?

I wanted very much to work with Forest View Primary School, it being the biggest in Cinderford. I sent emails to the literacy co-ordinator. No response. I rang more than once. Literacy co-ordinator not available, messages not returned. Knowing how exceptionally busy teachers are and how crammed their days are with incidents that have to be dealt with then & there, I determined on a last ditch effort and a single A4 proposal made its way to the right pigeonhole.

It turns out she hadn't been ignoring me - she'd been ill. The following spring over the course of World Book Week I provided age appropriate events and library introduction to each and every class. Every child was able to enter a competition (poems or illustrations) judged by me. On my recommendation they got Shoo Rayner on board to do events at school and to help me present the prizes. The headteacher wrote to me later:


"The children really did benefit immensely from it. It was fantastic to see a vast number of pupils return from their library visit holding their books in their hands and excited about reading. As a result of the book week staff at Forest View have reported that more children now want to read and I have certainly noticed that there are many more children using our school library and sat in class reading areas.

The enthusiasm and passion that you showed during the sessions that you worked with the children certainly encouraged them to see how beneficial reading is and the importance that it has to their lives. This was all reflected on the prize giving day, when every single child and their parents turned up to receive their prize, this is something that as a school we have never been able to achieve!"


Massively worth the persistence. 

I could tell you many many more stories but ..... you've listened long enough today.

When I went swimming again yesterday I did not choose to persist with front crawl. I chose to further consolidate breast-stroke and back stroke.

And two things suddenly clicked: 

I found myself stretching forward much more in the breaststroke which lengthened and smoothed everything, including the breathing. And in backstroke I remembered to kick from the hip rather than the knee, which again seemed to produce a greater level of efficiency. The lessons of persistence therefore must now (in my final training swims) be applied to front crawl.

I'm still a bit scared though.....!









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