Read on Twitter
This may be quite a long thread, but I want to share something that I wouldn’t ever usually tell a “room full of strangers”. When I was a child I had a hobby, I was really into performing arts. When I was 10, I went to an audition and that hobby ended up changing my life.
In 2002 I went to an audition for a CBBC show called The Basil Brush Show, and somehow I ended up being very lucky and was cast as a character called Dave. Some of you may remember this show if you were my age in the early 2000’s. I’m the one in the suit 
It was a fantastic experience. I met so many amazing people, went to some some incredible places and events (including the children’s BAFTA awards) and I look back at it now with real pride at what I achieved just through the love of something I did for fun.
School was different though. I was relentlessly teased by a number of people for the entire time I was involved with the show (6 years). I was known only as “the Basil Brush boy” by many, and couldn’t take 10 steps at school without having “boom boom” shouted at me.
I wasn’t bullied, but it was just continual gentle teasing by people. I should add, I had a lot of friends, it was people outside of my friendship circle (often older). However, it slowly made me resent being involved with the show at all. I didn’t voice this to anyone.
I began to act like an idiot in school, just to be known for being funny myself instead of the Basil Brush boy. Obviously, that’s silly. I also began to hate talking about being in it to anyone. Family friends would ask genuine questions and I hated... HATED talking about it.
It got to the point that I dreaded being asked questions about the show, even from people who were actually interested. I constantly felt like they were going to start teasing, or were already teasing behind my back. I was embarrassed by it.
It got to the point that when I went to university, I told nobody about it. It may have been a cool ice breaker with new people, but I said nothing. It genuinely felt liberating to not be the Basil Brush boy, nobody had a clue (why would they?) and it was wonderful. Until...
Amazingly, and bizarrely, someone recognised me, googled it and told and showed everyone. Then came the moment I had dreaded, but there was no teasing. My housemates and uni friends seemed to think it was the coolest thing ever. There was genuine enthusiasm and interest.
For the first time in 9 years, I found myself talking openly to people about my experiences, about what it was like and the things I’d done and people I’d met. Was I met with teasing? Not at all, just pure interest for people who recognised it for the cool experience that it was.
I spent years feeling embarrassed to mention it to people because of the reaction of some people at my school when I was in Year 6. I felt ashamed of my successes as a young person because of how a few people made me feel.
It can take years to build someone up, but you can destroy their confidence and enthusiasm for something in seconds, in a way that follows them around for years. I like to think that those experiences have made me a better teacher, as strange as that sounds.
We need to build each other up. Celebrate successes, encourage dreams and most importantly don’t ever make anyone feel as small about an enormous achievement as I did in the school corridor in Year 6, because that shit can follow someone for years.
Likewise, don’t ever feel ashamed or embarrassed of your achievements, just because they don’t jive with someone else. Be proud of you and the successes you have. I’ve learned to be proud of what I achieved as a child, but it shouldn’t have had to be something I had to learn.
I felt so negative about something so positive in my life, and I wish I could go back and help my younger self realise how cool it was!
I don’t very often tweet anything of real substance, so I thought I’d try and do something about that!
