Even as a 2 year old I was ready to help Mummy and teach my baby brother to read...upside down none-the-less
So even though you can't be with us in person, here is a transcript of the speech from today's party.
When I tell people I’ve written a book and starting a business for families to make learning fun the first question I usually get is “how many kids do you have”. Well I don’t have any, but I do have 22 nieces and nephews! The next question I get is “oh so you must be a teacher then”. Well no, I’m not a teacher either. But I’m a crusader for education and I believe with my whole body that a quality tailored education can give any child the keys to the universe!
When I tell people I’ve written a book and starting a business for families to make learning fun the first question I usually get is “how many kids do you have”. Well I don’t have any, but I do have 22 nieces and nephews! The next question I get is “oh so you must be a teacher then”. Well no, I’m not a teacher either. But I’m a crusader for education and I believe with my whole body that a quality tailored education can give any child the keys to the universe!
But there’s
a particular story I wanted to share with you, that is my bottom line.
When I was
in school I always finished my work and helped others, even in high school I
did cross age tutoring and loved it. I loved reading to my brothers and to this
day I am the person my family and friends come to when they need help doing
something!
But in primary
school, there was a younger boy in my class. e was a bit naughty, his older siblings
had a reputation for fighting, and it was pretty obvious that things weren’t
great at home. But I made friends with him, and when I was finished my work I
would move over to his side of the table and help him out. Maths sheets,
spelling sheets, reading, whatever. Just that bit of extra one on one attention
helped him to get it. He probably would’ve never asked the teacher for help,
and would have gone and played or distracted the other kids, but with a little
attention he could work out the answers and finish his work. But I went off to
high school, and by the time he came through I guess nobody had the time to
help him with his maths sheets. His misbehaviour had really stepped up a notch,
and by about year 8 he was out. Expelled, just left, I can’t even remember. After
this I would see him down the street, jobless, with kids of his own, dead beat
friends hanging around just doing nothing and causing a nuisance, so I
gradually stopped acknowledging him and would just walk on by as if I never saw
him. Then one day I read his death notice in the paper, and through local
gossip I found out he’d died of a drug overdose leaving behind a girlfriend and
2 little kids. All because there was nobody to give him that one on one help he
needed in class, so he just gave up.
The worst
part of this story, is that it isn’t an isolated incident. There are kids out
there struggling through school, struggling through life with unemployment,
poverty, violence, drugs, alcohol, crime...whatever, all because nobody took
the time to spend with them in school to help them with their maths sheet, or
with their reader. Some kids pick it up easily, but others struggle with
undiagnosed learning difficulties that get labelled as behavioural problems,
laziness or just plain dumb. Even kids
who are experiencing bullying or peer pressure might struggle at school and
nobody would ever know why. There’s a whole bunch of things going on in kids’
lives but the teachers’ hands are tied because of process and policy. And it’s
the “What can I do?” that makes me tick. Can I fix it for all those kids? Can I
change the society? Can I change the world? I don’t know. There’s a classic
saying…How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Same deal here. I can’t
change the world in one bite, but I can take a few bites and give it a go!
So I wrote a
book that’s easy to read, it’s not full of scientific facts or research
studies. It’s based on my experience, and the stories I’ve heard from my
parents, the ideas I’ve tried in tutoring sessions, inspiration from my beautiful
little sister and my army of nieces and nephews and great things their parents
have shared. It’s just a little book with a really big message!
What I’ve
come to realise though, is that sadly many of the people who this book is
written for may never read it. So I want to bring Blossom to life and turn the
idea into a space, a place where people can come and find information that’s
relevant to them at the time they need it. And so they can get some benefit out
of it. Which is where the purple poster over there is taking me. Blossom
Connect. An interactive website connecting parents to local businesses &
services through social media, an iphone app, through targeted offers, specials
or events that meet their specific needs. Do they need tutoring help. Do they
need access to free or community services. Do they need toys or books? Do they
want to find a sport or a club? Can the businesses offer them a special
discount? Is a group holding an event? Anything local, relevant to the needs of
young children and their development in life.
So this is
the next part of my journey. You can see some of my concepts drawn up on the
purple poster, and I’ve also put together a little sign up sheet for anyone who
would like to be on the list when it goes live? Or anyone who might be
interested in advertising on the site, being a part of the project, or even
just holding a few copies of the book on your market stall or on your website
for customers to purchase through your own business. So please head over and
have a look and sign the sheet to be a part of something really exciting that I
hope with all my heart will make a difference to at least one bite of my
elephant!
Also
remember to get your raffle tickets $2 each or 3 for $5. We’ve got prizes
donated from Jess from Tupperware in Daylesford / Ballarat. Trecia Bik from
Letter Gems who runs programs for pre-kinder kids to learn the basics of ABCs
and 123s.. Angela East from School of Mum, a local blogger and online retailer
for educational toys. Ballarat Books, our local educational book specialist and
also ETSY business Fait Avec Lecour who handmake Montessori inspired learning
toys. All the money from the raffle tickets will go straight to the Australian
Literacy & Numeracy Foundation who run programs to teach indigenous
children all around Australia. Also 10% from every book sold today will also go
to them. You can get a copy of the book today for $15. Online it’s available
from Amazon or Lulu, the publishing site for $19 plus postage. And it’s also on
Amazon Kindle as an eBook for $2.99, so if you’ve got the kindle app on your phone,
or you’ve got a Kindle you can grab a digital copy too. And just for today it’s
actually free. So great opportunity to download it to keep it handy to show
your friends.
And inside
your goodie bags you’ll find a flyer that has 3 ways you can help share the
blossom message. So have a look at that, but basically the more you guys
interact with Blossom online, the wider audience I can reach. So if you have a
read through the book, then go onto the Amazon or Lulu publisher websites you
can give it a star rating and also leave a written review if you like. But
those reviews & ratings are what helps push this book up the list of search
results and gives it more credence to potential readers. Then on our social
networks like Pinterest, Facebook and blogger, jump on those sites and follow
or like the page. And sign up to the blog using your email address so you get
the latest updates delivered straight to your email account. And then once you’ve
done that, get involved. If you see something you like…click on it, hit the
like button, make a comment about it, even if it’s just a couple of words. The
more you interact, again the wider audience we can reach. And tell us about great
things that happen with the kids, at school, at home, when you’re out and about
having fun family adventures or problems you’re having so other people on the
sites can share your stories and offer advice or their experiences. Send us pictures
and share your stories! Especially from today, if you’ve got a great snap or
want to tell us what you really got out of today drop us a line on the facebook
page!
So finally, I’d
just like to thank everyone who has helped make today possible. Erin for doing
the food, Miffy for being my amazing sales woman, Donna and the girls selling
the raffle tickets, Megan for being my official photographer…my Mum for having
me.… and all of you for being here today! And especially Earl for providing today’s
entertainment! Earl is studying to be a teacher at the moment, and is a musician
with kids…so he made music for kids his job! Which is just what Blossom is
about, fun and inspiring ways to get kids moving, thinking, letting loose and
being creative and learning from those experiences!
Remember to visit the discount link to get your 20% off the hard copy book, delivered to your door:
http://www.lulu.com/content/
Or if you've got a Kindle or the Kindle App on your phone/iPad get the $2.99 eBook:
http://www.amazon.com/Learning-thats-fun-ebook/dp/B008OQV5EM
And please visit our sponsors:
http://www.schoolofmum.com.au
http://www.lettergems.com.au
http://www.faitaveclecoeur.com/
http://www.tupperware.com.au
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