Graeme Whiting’s childhood was spent in poverty. He faced hardship and later, tragedy, but came through these challenges with the courage and enthusiasm to develop a remarkable career in education based on his passion for nurturing the individual abilities and unique potential of each student. Graeme was initially a physical training instructor in the army and then taught in public schools where a key mentor helped him adapt and refine his degree-level training skills to teach children.
A move to the Steiner system opened his eyes to a profoundly different approach to education, which along with Graeme's rich life experience – including his love of fishing, gymnastics, water sports and all manner of fun and adventure – became the foundation for his distinctively wholesome way of educating young people. In 1991 Graeme was able to fulfil a lifelong vision of how schooling with heart and kindness can help children flourish. Together with his wife, Sarah, he took a leap of faith and created his own school – The Acorn School – now a highly original cutting-edge independent school in the Cotswolds. After thirty years of Acorn, Graeme has written this book as an encouragement to us all to follow our hearts and take the path less travelled, no matter how humble our background.
Available from Amazon
Published:
Dec 2022
Paperback:
252 pages
Price:
£12.00
ISBN:
9781914424694
From Little Acorns:
A Story of Courage and Inspiration
An Autobiography by Graeme Whiting
The main thing about Graeme is this: his energy. More specifically, it’s a special kind of energy that acts as a catalyst on others. We all have great potential within us, but the difficult thing is activating it. Some people have the gift of providing the necessary spark to others – and this is at the heart of education, as something quite distinct from imparting information, and ultimately more important. Graeme is one of the rare people with that special gift.
Jeremy Wade (ex-pupil, angler, biologist, TV presenter)