Scots Language Awards 2023: Jamie Fairbairn, Banff Academy

Weel duin tae Jamie Fairbairn, Banff Academy wha hae bin nominatit in Scots Speaker o the Year in the Scots Language Awards. Vote now!

The Scots Language Awards are in the Johstone Toon Ha, Johnstone on 16th September at 7pm. Tickets fir the ceremony are available tae buy here: https://handsup.link/SLA-BuyTickets.

We askit Jamie Fairbairn o Jamie Fairbairn, Banff Academy thae speirins.

Tell us aboot yersel or yer ootfit.
A'm the hied o Humanities at Banff Academy, an dominie o baith Geography an Scots. A've been deliverin Scots fer a decade noo at the scweel, giein thoosands o bairns the chunce tae engage wi their mither tongue ower thon time, an heezin up ither dominies tae dee the same. A've bed in Scotland, England and Sooth Americae ower the years, an discovered a watergaw o leids an dialects in ilka place. Banff Academy has been a gran place tae dee aa this, set in the hairtlan o north east Scots, an movin forrit wi a new vision in projeck based lair, an skeels based education. A bide in the wee village o Fitehills, near Banff, wi ma wife an three musical bairns an a joogle. A play drums in Portsoy Pipe Band an enjoy a dram, files in thon order.

Whit wis it got ye involvit wi the Scots leid?
Trad music plays a pairt in thon. A hid aye loued Scots sang an poetry. I learned Spanish an the dialect o Valluno in Colombia, an fan I cam back tae Scotland, took a closer luikie at the mither tongue eence again. Teachin Geography, deein the widder, A stairted luikin at Scots wirds wi the bairns, lik Banff baillies; blawin a bleester; dingin it doon; bullet steens; droukit; dreich; chitter; flichter; haar; smirr and thunner plump. The bairns stairted tae scrieve their ain creative wirk in Scots, the licht wis lit an we hae offered the Scots language award ilkie year syne.

Why dae ye feel it is important tae use Scots in everyday life?
Monie bairns come tae scweel wi Scots in their heids and then hae tae operate an learn in English. I howp tae provide a space far bairns can think, spik, scrieve an create in their mither tongue, an heeze up ither bairns fa want tae learn it an aa. The guid effeck on self regaird is muckle. It aye biggs up literacy an cultural kennins an aa. Bairns hae the richt tae spik their mither tongue, an ilka opportunity they get validates fa they, their fowks and their community really are. Bairns are scrievin mair Scots nor ever on social media on their phones, but they're needin tae feel it's aaricht tae spik Scots in ony space they want – tae tak ownership o it. We're on the wye!

Dae ye hae a favourite Scots phrase or saying?
I love the phrase tae describe moving a bittie quickly: K-nypin oan lik a coo on a bike.
It's got thon comical, a bittie surreal humour o the north east, an faa widna hae a wee chuckle at the idea o a coo on a bike wi it's feet up wheechin doon the hill mooin!

Is there a Scots speaker who inspires you?
A've aye bin inspired by the wirk an speeches o Billy Kay. Ither spikkers A admire include Steve Byrne an Michael Dempster.

Do you hear Scots spoken regularly in your local area? Have you noticed any changes over time?
A hear Scots ilkie day aroon Banff an in the scweel, fae youngsters, learnin coaches, teachers, jannies, kitchie staff an parents. Ye hear Scots in the denner queues, on the fitba parks an in yer classes, especially gin ye mak shair the bairns ken yer delichtit tae hear it! It's true the younger eens dinna hae Doric as braid as they're grandparents, their vocabulary is nae quite as rich, but on the ither haan their scrievin mair Scots nor ever afore on their phones. And the bairns' creative wirk is wunnerfu.

Ony particlar career heighlichts
A wis fair tricket that ma Scweel Banff Academy won Scots Schuil o the year in 2020, an blown awa tae hae won Scots Champion in 2022. Thon gied us mair opportunities tae ging forrit wi oor plans fer Scots in the scweel an ayont. Syne then A hae ettled tae get the wird oot there aboot Scots farever A can: in the newspapers, publishin airticles in The Bottle Imp, wirkin wi e-sgoil in Scotland Assembly, spikkin an recordin presentations at the Scots Education Conference, spikkin tae the wirk wi the SQA wi verification o schuils an scrievin the annual report, a projeck wi Allan Riach fer scweel Scots literature resources, record uptake fer the S3 Scots option fer languages an sustained senior cless, giein the special spik at the Doric Film Festival, far we won the secondary award an runner up, entering bairns fer Matthew Fitt's spooky story comp (a puckle prizes!), gettin masel an bairns through auditions fer the Linlithgow Scots audio tour, judgin the Doric poetry competition at Keith folk festival (terrifyin!), appearin on Scots Radio episode 98 tae blether aboot a split new teacher trainin coorse, jynin the cross pairty Scots advisory group, an pittin wee stories, picters an heezin up Scots on Twitter.

But fit A'm maist prood o this year his been leadin a bourachie o fantastic dominies throwe the pilot fer the Scots teacher trainin coorse fae Open Uni an Education Scotland, alang wi Bruce Eunson an Sylvia Warnecke. Fair tricket!

Wha’s yer plans fir the days aheid?
Haud gyaan wi aathin! A howp tae tak pairt in tutorin fer the national Scots teacher training CPD coorse, ettlin tae get as monie dominies trained in aa the airts as can be deen. Canna wait!

The Scots Language Awards are in the Johnstone Toon Ha, Johnstone on 16th September at 7pm. Tickets are available to buy here: https://handsup.link/SLA-BuyTickets There wull be some grand entertainmint oan the nicht tae, includin a recital fae Renfrewshire’s poet laureate Shaun Moore,wha wis appointit as the region’s Tannahill Makar last year. talks fae weel regairdit Scots scrievers Cat Cochrane an Shane Strachan, alang wi musical performances fae celebratit multi-instumentalist brithers Euan and Lewis McLaughlin, an sangster Iona Fyfe.

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