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Friday, 20 April 2007

A bit about Nick - Puppet Workshops


Upon leaving school in 1996 I attended South Kent college for 3 years, completing various courses in art & design including a foundation course which opened me up to university. I stayed at South Kent college for my degree, as the college had the facility's to run BA fine art courses in conjunction with the University of Kent.
When I left university in 2003 I went to work, doing a variety of jobs including; bar management and art therapy (unqualified).
I then came to Essex in September 2005 and begun a mission to train as a qualified primary school teacher! My idea being to work as a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) in a primary school for 2 years before beginning a 1 year intense training course.
From January 2006 to July 2006 I worked as an LSA supporting a severe autistic child, of which I found very challenging and engaging. In the September I joined a Junior school working as both an LSA and school librarian. It is here that, whilst helping run the school's art club, I discovered the joy of working with the children ( chiefly 8 year olds) and puppets. I found that puppet shows can engross children into a story in a special kind of way and learnt all kinds of new skills, from the practical skills of the construction to the teamwork necessary for performing. I have not come across as better way of combining pure fun and education as puppetry.
This September I will be starting my teacher training at the University of East London.