Friday 24th June 2011, Bradford
Today 40 students from Thornton were lucky enough to be able to see actor Henry Winkler in action. Henry is best known for his role as "the Fonz" in the Television series from the seventies: Happy Days.
Henry struggled at school because he suffered from Dyslexia. At that time much less was known about the condition, and he was regarded by teachers, and even his parents, as lazy or a "dummer hund" (German for dumb dog).
He wasn't diagnosed until he was in his thirties. His condition not only makes reading and writing very difficult for him, it also affects body coordination. He is unable to ride a bike despite the fact that his screen character would often ride motor bikes.
| Henry is now a children's writer and, with his partner Lin Oliver he is the author of the Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever" series of children's books. His mission in life is to show students that high grades aren't everything, and that self-belief and hard work are what makes someone achieve great things. His message is that each of them has an amazing gift and it's their duty to share it with the world. With hard work and determination, and a bit of cheek, he said they could do anything they wanted to in life. There was also a presentation from the organisers: |
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 | Henry signed copies of his book for students and accompanying staff, who were as excited as the students to meet Fonzie in the flesh. Babs Collins from the SEN department said "He told me I had a lovely face and patted my hand. I haven't washed it since!" |