ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY TEACHER
One of the best things about teaching English and Philosophy is that these subjects play such a big part in the students figuring out the world and their place in it. The world is increasingly driven by ideology and I am proud to be helping students become logical, self-aware and critical members of it.
I’m a firm believer in the dialectic method of inquiry and strive to allow students to interrogate and challenge their own values, attitudes and assumptions. With this in mind in the classroom I put particular emphasis on discussion, encouraging students to challenge their pre-existing beliefs and interpretations and to engage each other in lively debate. With my Year 12s in particular I am often guided by something that Ludwig Wittgenstein once said, “A philosopher who is not taking part in discussions is like a boxer who never goes into the ring”.
I decided to become a teacher because I loved learning and wanted to challenge myself. Teaching is something different every day and there is a rarely a dull moment. Outside the classroom the chance to learn new things, explore interesting and complex topics and then attempt to break them to be palatable in the classroom is the real joy for me.