What led you to teaching?
I loved my last 4 years at school, having not enjoyed many of the years before that. I know what great, inspirational teaching looks and feels like; I have tried throughout my career to make complicated things simple – rather than making simple things complicated!
I started my teacher training when I was 18, but quickly discovered that I wasn’t really ready to “swap sides”! I did a different degree (including two years in Nantes, France) before working for 5 years selling advertising space on national magazines and newspapers. After a while, I felt that I was ready to take up the challenge of teaching: so i left my job, took a year to do my PGCE and have worked teaching Maths (as well as RS, History, ICT, Games and French: and running a boarding house for 60+ Year 7s and 8s!) in prep schools ever since.
What inspires you and what you do?
That wonderful “light bulb moment” when a student realises the links between the various things that you have taught them – and the joy of discovery that that can bring.
The times when students or parents have come back to me years later to tell me of their successes in life (whether academic or not!) and say “and you helped me do that”.
What do you love most about Skippers?
The relationship between everyone here: students and teachers; teachers with their colleagues; students and their peers; teachers and parents. We are a small school, and the sense of community (perfectly exemplified by the “Summer Fete”) is just wonderful.
What is your proudest achievement?
Although it might be a bit of a cliché, I would say my own children. I have a son (17) and a daughter (20), and they are both brilliant, strong, empathetic, funny young people.
