Introducing teens to calligraphy

Regular readers of my blog will know I have a thing for stationery.

I also, strangely some might say, like working with children, so I was delighted when Whitley Bay High School asked me to help them with a stationery-based enterprise project.

A group of Year 9 pupils had been set the task of designing a piece of stationery and their research had pointed them in the direction of notebooks featuring motivational quotes.

You can’t fail to have spotted this current trend in the shops!

Growing calligraphy confidence

Teacher Sarah Cook was keen to add a calligraphy workshop to three-day enterprise event.

So, I packed my pens and worksheets and headed across the Tyne to deliver a one-hour crash course in foundational hand.

Eighteen pupils registered to take part and although they seemed nervous and unsure at first, they very quickly got the hang of it!

By the end of the session, they had all been able to add something to the A6 notebooks provided by the school for the session, from simple initials to quotes and even a mandala!

‘Students have used the skills they learnt’

I’m told the children used the skills they’d learned on their presentations the next day.

Miss Cook said: “The students loved the workshop!

“Angela’s demonstrations and explanations were pitched perfectly and the students were really enthusiastic about practising their technique.

“Students have used the skills they learnt during the workshop as part of their work.

“We’re really keen to work with Angela again in the future and would fully recommend her workshops to school groups.”

Inspiring learning space 

Well, I’d be happy to go back as the school was so welcoming, from the reception staff to the teachers I worked with, and the children were lovely.

They got their heads down, weren’t afraid to ask questions and you could see their progress in less than an hour! 

The library we were working in is pretty ace too – beautifully decorated with famous quotes from literary, historical and musical figures hanging from the ceiling.

I was introduced to calligraphy by my art teacher at secondary school, so who knows where that one-hour session could lead?