Tuesday 15 February 2011

Back to School with a Blast!

Recently we had the great pleasure of visiting the Bristol Grammar School and holding a workshop with 140 year 7 students and their teachers. Here we are in action.
The camera can be so cruel when you're caught in the middle of a sentence...





































It was a fantastic day and it gave me good pause to think about the school experience in wider terms. A lot has been written about the education system and many notable individuals have added their own thoughts, some supportive, some negative and some just amusing. A good example of the latter comes from the pen of American author, Walter Percy:

"You can get all A's and still flunk life."

Wise words, Walt, wise words. But my absolute favourite (serious) quotation, and one we Etheringtons try our very hardest to live up to, was coined by famed 20th Century poet, William Butler Yeats:

"Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire."

If you want children to pass exams they have to learn FACTS. This we know. But if you want to light the fire of inspiration, well ... that can be far harder. One great way in which schools seem to be really embracing this ideal however, is through their visitor programme.

Sportsmen and sportswomen, artists, authors, musicians and more are invited to talk to small and large groups, and share their experiences. We were delighted to be invited by Lucy Shepherd to host a workshop at BGS and, judging from the photos below, I think it's fair to say everyone had a good time!



















It is with immense pride that we share our creative process and use our experiences to encourage students of all ages to think about their work in new, exciting ways.

If you would like to know more about our school workshops and maybe even book us in for a visit (we want to spread the good word far and wide) simply drop us a line at: theetheringtonbrothers@hotmail.co.uk.