At the age of ten, Rory is already following his dream to become an art teacher having recently discovered his love and aptitude for art. As a day pupil at Forest View Primary School, Rory has been inspired by his art teacher and he spends hours sketching and painting to create fantastic, imaginative pieces. He entered an art competition through trampoline park ‘Flip Out’ and was awarded first place across the whole of Glasgow.
Rory has attended school at Kibble for three years, following difficulties engaging in mainstream education. He had experienced trauma in his life and as a result had low confidence and anxiety which led to him to fall behind at school. Rory has thrived at Kibble, not only in his education, but in his confidence and ability to overcome his anxieties. He has achieved his Trinity Arts Award at Discovery Level, and as part of this award he proudly stood in front of teachers to deliver a presentation on his work.
For Rory, writing was an activity he actively avoided. However, by introducing the Talk for Writing teaching method in class, Rory has been able to express his creative flair through his writing. After returning from a visit to a museum, Rory was so excited he wrote a six-page account of his trip. He is also a fan of reading, and among his favourite books are Harry Potter, and anything by Roald Dahl including Esio Trot which features a pet tortoise called Alfie.
But a friendly tortoise doesn’t only feature in the storybook, Rory also enjoys visits from ‘Monster the tortoise’. In fact, several animals visit Forest View including miniature ponies, dogs, a lizard and chickens. Spending time with the animals has brought significant benefits for Rory – he loves reading stories to them and this has really helped to develop his confidence and self-esteem.
Every day Rory is growing in confidence and ability. He’s a joy to be around, a joy to teach and brings so much joy through his art.
^ Name changed to protect identity of young person.