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<strong>Education</strong> Magazine<br />
Talking<br />
HEADS<br />
Rob Shaughnessy<br />
Head of English, Reigate<br />
Grammar School<br />
Favourite subject at school<br />
English, of course! I love reading and<br />
its quite clear why I’ve followed the<br />
career path I have. History was a close second.<br />
Most inspirational teacher at school Mr Firth my A-Level<br />
English Literature teacher – he challenged us and our<br />
teenage conceptions of the world and made us believe in<br />
ourselves. Not quite ‘Dead Poet’s Society’, but he could<br />
often be found leaping onto a table to illustrate his point.<br />
Favourite character from a book or film<br />
Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. I love<br />
how much controversy he provokes amongst people.<br />
Best school memory It’s quite far back, but winning<br />
a poetry writing competition when I was seven. I<br />
think I still have the certificate at home too.<br />
Is there anything you wished you had studied<br />
at school but didn’t? Classics. I should have<br />
spent more time on languages too.<br />
What is your proudest achievement at your current school?<br />
We have fantastic students who constantly amaze me, but they<br />
make me really proud when we go on trips or have visitors at<br />
school and they ask really precise and perceptive questions.<br />
What are you looking forward to this coming year?<br />
We are in the process of organising a trip to the Barbican.<br />
Reigate Grammar School<br />
01737 222231 reigategrammar.org<br />
Sue Childs,<br />
Head of Ma thematics, Ashford School<br />
Favourite subject when you<br />
were at school Maths was always<br />
my favourite subject. My uncle<br />
showed me how to make Mobius<br />
loops with newspaper when I was<br />
in kindergarten and I was hooked for life.<br />
Most inspirational teacher when you were<br />
at school My headmistress at TWGGS, Miss<br />
Hazell. A tiny lady with a huge intellect. What I<br />
remember most was her mantra to us: Is it true? Is<br />
it helpful? Is it kind? A good mantra for life.<br />
Favourite character from a book or film I read<br />
and reread the Lord of the Rings trilogy as teenager.<br />
I love all the characters but if I have to pick one it<br />
would be Gimli the dwarf. His eloquent farewell<br />
on leaving Lorien still moves me to tears.<br />
Best school memory I enjoyed school but always preferred<br />
life out of school! I think my best school memory was<br />
the final school bus ride home in the upper sixth after<br />
exams were over with all the freedom I was anticipating!<br />
Is there anything you wish you’d studied at<br />
school that you didn’t? I was very happy with the<br />
academic choices I had. I knew I wanted to study<br />
engineering and just thoroughly enjoyed being able<br />
to focus on maths and physics in the sixth form.<br />
What’s your proudest achievement at your current<br />
school? Introducing and embedding writing Mathematics<br />
Journals into the department. I love looking through<br />
the students’ explanations and diagrams. It makes<br />
mathematics come alive to see it recorded in their journals.<br />
What are you looking forward to this coming year?<br />
I am looking forward to further developing our use<br />
of technology in the maths department, continuing<br />
to extend the journal writing into the sixth form.<br />
Ashford School<br />
01233 625171 ashfordschool.co.uk<br />
Terry Stickney<br />
Head of ICT, St Ronans<br />
Favourite subject when you<br />
were at school I loved learning<br />
about computers at school, but it<br />
was a different world then. I was<br />
always intrigued as to how these<br />
wonderful beasts could manipulate data. Magical!<br />
Most inspirational teacher when you were at school<br />
Without doubt Mrs Johnstone was my favourite teacher.<br />
Young and enthusiastic, she taught me English.<br />
Best school memory I had lots of great memories from<br />
school, mostly about the people I met. However, my stand<br />
out memory has to be the pride in being Long Jump<br />
Champion for two years running. It wouldn’t happen now!<br />
Is there anything you wish you’d studied at school that<br />
you didn’t? At the time of leaving senior school, I wanted to<br />
pursue a career in law. My advisors at school instead steered<br />
me into politics. My programming then took a back seat.<br />
What’s your proudest achievement at your current<br />
school? I am so proud of so much that team Saint<br />
Ronan’s has achieved, especially having been part<br />
of the excitement of Tatler Award Year. A personal<br />
highlight has to be teaching a Year 5 boy about<br />
Raspberry Pi coding and the joy this gave him.<br />
What are you looking forward to this coming year?<br />
Goodness there is a huge amount to look forward to, not<br />
least helping to design a new ICT suite for the school.<br />
Saint Ronan’s School<br />
01580 752271 s aintronans.co.uk<br />
47 wealdentimes.co.uk
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