English and Film Tutor for High School Students (A-Level, KS3, GCSE, IB)

There is something deeply unsettling about being asked to write a bio like this. How does one avoid the traps of buzzwords, cheesy idealism, and platitudes that look like they were copied from a simple Pinterest search for ‘education quotes’? So, as one of my favorite authors once said, when in doubt, tell the truth, if only because it’s the easiest thing to remember. I’ve often been asked by students what I wanted to be when I was young, and although my answer depends mostly on how mischievous I might be feeling at that particular moment, there is actually an honest and consistent answer. It’s not just what I wanted to be when I was young, it’s what I want to be now, and in the future. I wanted to be useful, and I wanted to find joy.
 
Being useful brings me so much fulfillment, and has enriched my life in ways I can’t even begin to count. As the child of two teachers, I was absolutely determined not to become a teacher once I left university, but in the only recorded example of me ever not coming through on a commitment, I did eventually realize that it was where I wanted to be. I knew that I could try and be the teacher that I had needed so much in my school years. Someone who exuded kindness, but never weakness. Someone who would listen, and try to remember that being a teenager can be awful. Yes, your knees don’t ache like mine do now, but still, the perils of teenage life, perhaps more now than ever, need compassion, empathy, and strong safe boundaries to help combat them.
 
Young people are interesting, fascinating, frustrating, wonderful bundles of potential and ideas, and working with them gives me as much joy now as it did back in 2009 when I qualified as a very naive but well-meaning teacher in the North East of England. Now we have started a new chapter, I will be looking to work 1:1 with students who want to achieve the best they are capable of, and maybe even a bit more than they think they can!