My teaching experience began not in creative writing or in English, but in art – spending my Saturday mornings and summers teaching pottery classes to children. It was something I found particularly rewarding, having children come into the studio with ideas of things they wanted to make, and watching them as they brought their visions to life.

I always wanted to be a teacher in some way, but only discovered my love for creative writing and teaching it when I began my undergraduate degree. As I progressed through my education, completing my studies for an English degree at the University of Southampton and an MSt in creative writing at the University of Oxford in 2021, I slowly began teaching more and more English lessons and running my own creative writing workshops.

Teaching children I am always impressed by their imagination, and ability to come up with ideas that I could never begin to think of. Working one on one in the past I have always loved sharing in their creative process, and seeing how much they love and care about writing. Regardless of the student, I’ve always found that children tend to look forward to creative sessions and, given the option, will always jump at the chance to write a story.

While studying, I was lucky enough to spend time working at a variety of literary magazines, and really valued the opportunity this gave me to read a wide range of new, fresh, exciting work from a really wide scope of writers. I currently continue to write – working on my own short stories. Because of my MSt, am lucky enough to be surrounded by a strong, close-knit group of writers that make me feel excited by, my work. This is something I value very closely, and I look forward to welcoming students into a creative space which offers them the same inspiration and support.