I have been teaching at a large inner-city London school, where I have taught both Year 4 and Year 6. I studied English and Sociology at The University of Sunderland. While studying for my degree, I ran a popular book club twice a week at a local Primary School. The club focused on reading strategies, as well as looking at ways to write stories, by making them engaging through using techniques that authors we were studying had used. This opportunity was what inspired me to become a teacher, so after graduating, I decided to carry on my studies at The University of Sunderland, completing my PGCE.
After completing this I took the decision to move to London, as I wanted to teach in a large multicultural city, where there were plenty of opportunities for me to develop my teaching further and gain as much experience as I possibly could. While I was working in London, I became involved in various working parties; looking at ways of improving reading across the curriculum, as well as implementing a new behaviour management strategy on a whole school level, that was welcomed by both pupils and parents - something that I feel very proud of.
Having spent a few summers travelling around Asia I decided that I wanted to teach abroad. I immediately began looking for new and exciting places to work and discovered The British School of Beijing, Sanlitun. The school instantly stood out to me as a place to achieve this so I grasped the opportunity to work here with both hands. I have never been to China before and I am very excited about all the new experiences. I hope to pass on my enthusiasm and commitment to the children at BSB Sanlitun.
When I am not working I am usually in the kitchen cooking or on the hunt for new recipes and ingredients. Cooking is something that I am very passionate about and I love cooking for friends and family at weekend get-togethers. As well as cooking, I also enjoy reading a good novel and of course cook books – I have a very healthy collection of them.
What the students say
"Mr Berry is a fun and adventurous teacher who makes us laugh and smile through his entertaining lessons."
"Mr Berry really helps us learn, as he explains things very clearly. He helps us with Literacy and Science and in Numeracy shows us that there are many ways to solve the same problem."
"Mr Berry can be strict, but he is very fair and respects everyone."