About me
On paper, I’m a 32 year old male who lives with my wife Hollie and my two children, Matilda and Jude. I’d consider myself a Derby ‘thoroughbred’. I love Derby County, I love the Peak District and I am always proud to be from Derby. Confusingly though, I am also acutely aware that there is nothing notably exotic or beyond mundane about Derby and I think that has been a constant fuel for the need to look for more adventure.
I never had dreams of becoming a primary school teacher but that is what I am and I love it. I love working in schools and I love working with all of that untapped potential. I still feel that magic when you walk into a school which is truly onsong. There is that buzz, that feeling of being in that protected place where children can remain as children, where the outside world can’t quite creep in. I love all of that. Primary schools also give you excellent stories. Some of my best stories come from my time in schools. Children are comedians in their own right and teachers (especially those who have never left the education system) are funny too.
For anyone who works or has worked with me, they would say one of two things: I am horrendously disorganised or I am extremely passionate about anything EdTech. For any future employers, I’m not disorganised, I just use a system only known to me (most of the time). EdTech though. That’s true. I can’t get enough of it. It was never ‘a thing’ in the mid-nineties when I was at school. We had over-head projectors (OHPs) which I knew even as a 5 year old, were hardly pushing the boundaries of technological possibilities. I think it was the iPod mini which really ignited my mind when it came to technology. My Dad managed to get me one on a hire scheme from his work. 500 songs in your hand. You could go from Celine Dion to Oasis and back to The Les Miserable soundtrack in one emotional rollercoaster hour. Just great.
As a teacher, I’ve always looked to bring technology into the classroom. Technology is the future, ‘innit’? Well, kind of. Reality is it’s very much already here. Waiting. I appreciate the way it makes big tasks into small tasks, costly events into free masterpieces and how the possibility of use lies with the user. There have been some shoddy EdTech examples in my 11 years as a teacher but now and again something revolutionary crops up which makes you go, "Wow!”
Learning by Questions (LBQ) was one of those moments. I’m not going to explain what LBQ is as they have a great website which can do that. Www.lbq.org
Another thing I should probably mention is that I am a strong believer in fate. My mum can be constantly found saying, “If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.” and whilst it’s not what you want to hear when you’ve just had your 12th ‘No.’ after a job interview, I do find some comfort in the whole notion of fate. So when I became an LBQ ambassador and received an invite to ‘AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY’ meeting the very next day. My mum’s favourite words were truly ringing in my ears.
LBQ. North East India. 8 weeks. Fact find on behalf of LBQ. Summer. That’s as much as I could think about following that meeting. Quickly replaced by Kids. Wife. Work and is 32 just too old to be thinking about this?
In the weeks following my successful interview for the trip, I learnt that my wife was more understanding than I ever gave her credit for. I also learnt that even though your mind tells you that you really don’t enjoy those toddler tantrums after a full day at work, the meltdowns, bath times, arguments over how many more Peppa Pig episodes you’re going to watch and in what order you’re going to watch them in, you will desperately miss even the thought of missing all of that.
This adventure to the Khasi Hills region was never meant for just the one. So joining me will be Tom. One of my best mates. A teacher and someone I had to cancel an Italy trip with to pursue this trip. I felt terrible cancelling that trip but mum’s words were ringing true again…
An exciting couple of months ahead - just two chaps in Meghalaya …