It’s my pleasure to be able to say that I helped set up the Mathematic Department in two free schools in Greater Manchester whilst the schools were in their infancy. I went on to teach in college, helping students retake their GCSEs and teaching A-level Maths. Two years ago I moved to Malaysia where I taught KS3 and IB level Mathematics predominantly focusing on Analysis and Approaches.
My favourite quote (as of this moment) is “complexity is the enemy of execution”. Why? Because there is so much in the world that’s complicated enough, executing the ideas we learn in school shouldn’t be one of them. I carry this through in my teaching and aim to teach in a way that I fulfil Einstein’s quote: “if you can’t explain it to a 6 year old, you don’t understand it yourself” The reason I chose to be a teacher actually links to the line above, during my own GCSEs I recall how confused my peers were for certain topics until I was able to explain it in a manner they understood. Nothing compares to the feeling of joy you feel when you see someone understand something simply because you put it in to a different combination of words.
Student happiness means to me, that each individual is recognised and celebrated on a personal level. That each student feels seen, appreciated and challenged to be the best version of themselves.