“If you can read this, thank a teacher.”

Last year, our Vice-Principal and one-time English teacher took it upon herself to spearhead a literacy drive in Carndonagh CS.

From her experience in the classroom she is very much aware that the skills of reading and writing are unavoidably linked. To be a capable and contented reader, a pupil must also be a capable and contented writer. Literary ability is not confined to either skill in particular, but to both merged.

With that in mind, a poster was designed for the school library (see above). Literacy skills do not come easily to a lot of young people and we felt it was necessary to introduce a little incentive to the equation…Money...Of course, that got their attention! We wanted to enforce the concept that reading and writing are not "what nerds do in their bedrooms because they’re no good at football"...reading and writing are life skills and are certainly worth the effort!

While we’d like it to be the case that pupils would read and write with enthusiasm all the time, that’s just not going to happen. Literacy skills must be nurtured, enforced if necessary, until they become second nature. That’s our responsibility as teachers and librarians. Once the groundwork has been done, pupils who would ordinarily struggled with the concept of literacy as a pastime might then be encouraged to embrace reading and writing as pursuits to be enjoyed.

We highlighted the achievements of Booker Prizewinner, John Banville, author of "The Sea". We wanted to convince our pupils that they don't have to be born gifted, or with a book in their hand to be successful in the world of literature. John Banville is an ordinary man from an ordinary background who developed a love for literature, and continues that development every day. It's paid off big time!

So, keep reading, keep writing…it could be you!