Felicity Norman

It's hard to say when my love of history started, but perhaps it goes back to watching the incredible stop motion movies of Harryhausen as a child, and the world of Ancient Greek mythology opening up before me. After immersing myself in Homer and Plato, I began a journey around the ancient world that would carry me back a million years to the dawn of our species, and across the globe.

Official qualifications came, especially the study of Classics at college, but in all honesty, when it comes to a subject like History that covers such a vast array of knowledge, the best qualification anyone can have is a curious mind.
A good memory helps but is not essential, there are tricks to help remember dates etc, and you will be amazed how much gets soaked up when you are truly engaged and fascinated in the lesson.

That is my aim; to delight and fascinate, to shock and surprise, sometimes to disgust and horrify, because that is history - it can be messy and beautiful and ever changing.
I am a firm believer that the perspective that can be gained from studying our past is crucial to understanding the present.

My approach to lessons has been shaped by my own children and the way I have tailored my teaching style to their age as they grew up. I believe this has given me a good understanding of how to focus younger minds.
When it comes to adult students, the workshops and lectures I give to the public, both for my work with local charities and also my own personal passions stand me in good stead.
In fact it has been a source of delight to me to see many elder faces in my workshops and I firmly believe you are never too old to learn something new, perhaps age even gives an advantage; a perspective on time and the past that the youth have yet to earn? So come young and old.

When it comes to the structure of lessons, I am student lead for the most part. Depending on whether a specific period is being focused upon or a more general approach, I will start by gauging a students current level of knowledge and setting out a goal/aim for the lessons. If a series of sessions are required, a lesson plan is made for the period of learning.

With the many resources of information available in the modern world, I explore a wide variety of sources for lesson material, and often encourage my students to do their own research between lessons - it's not 'homework', but if I recommend a student listen to a podcast episode (for example) as self-research, I will expect a discussion about it at the beginning of the next session.

That is the one and only requirement I have of my students - match my enthusiasm and show willing.

So come young and old, male or female, if you are just starting out on your journey through history or have found yourself with a specific historical itch that needs scratching, please book a lesson with me today and let's explore the past together.