Karen has been teaching at state schools in London for the last 10 years. During that time, she took on the roles of Assistant Director of Learning and Director of Learning, at a successful but challenging academy in North London. She then moving to a highly academic school in west London, working as KS4 Transition co-ordinator in English and then Head of Year, rolling with the students through years 8-11.
Her focus on pastoral roles is evidence of her pedagogical beliefs; that as educators, we must nurture and care for the well-being of the whole child in order to maximise their potential in classroom. Creating a stimulating, safe environment for her students to learn is at the heart of her lessons. Karen has taught cover for the summer term at Dover before meeting her own English classes.
Outside of school, Karen has a daughter and son, who act as the best medicine for a sometimes stressful job. She is enjoying watching their language acquisition and impressed by the English and Mandarin words they are learning. Karen and husband Alex are planning lots of trips to new destinations now they have Singapore as a base to spring from! They would also like to return to Japan to practise their very rusty Japanese. Karen is a keen runner (short distance only!) and enjoys seeing her neighbourhood in Singapore on her weekly runs. Much sunnier than Twickenham!