What is your role at QACI, and/or what subjects do you teach?
I'm very proudly the Year 10 Coordinator and an English teacher here at QACI.
What inspired you to become a teacher, and what do you love most about working in the IB program?
Initially, it was my love of literature. The prospect of a job where I could spend my days talking about books and stories seemed almost too good to be true. But what has kept me in teaching is the privilege of working with young people. I care deeply about helping students become critical thinkers, but equally about treating them with dignity and kindness, and making sure they feel seen and valued. I didn't always feel particularly intelligent or recognised at school, and I think part of me wanted to be the teacher I might have needed growing up.
How do you bring real-world connections into your teaching? Are there any exciting collaborations or projects you're involved in?
I think real-world connections happen almost constantly in my classroom. Texts don't exist in a vacuum, and our discussions inevitably lead us to the social, political and cultural ideas shaping the world around us. I love bringing together literature, film, music and art to explore those connections. There's something wonderful about watching students realise that the questions we're unpacking in a text aren't simply literary concerns, but questions about the world they're living in. That's when I think learning becomes genuinely meaningful.
Can you share a memorable teaching moment or student success story?
There have been some incredibly moving moments in my career, particularly when you can see a young person's confidence grow or their understanding of the world shift.
Just the other day, I was listening to a Year 11 student's Individual Oral, which is an extraordinarily demanding assessment, and found myself getting quite emotional. The insight and sensitivity with which they spoke about the world genuinely moved me. I tried to disguise the fact that I was welling up, with questionable success. But I've also come to realise that some of the most meaningful moments in teaching happen when you've wandered slightly off topic. Those little moments of laughter, vulnerability or unexpected conversation when you suddenly feel that you're part of a small community. I've been lucky enough to experience so many of those with my two beautiful Year 12 classes this year.
What is something unique about QACI's learning experience that sets it apart?
I think it's how genuinely student voice is valued. We co-design elements of our courses with students, and the classroom feels like a democratic space where young people aren't simply passive recipients of knowledge, but active participants in shaping their learning.
There's also something quite special about teaching students who are so intellectually curious. The IB attracts young people who want to ask difficult questions, challenge ideas and stretch their understanding of the world. What a privilege it is to spend your days in a room full of people who genuinely want to think.
Do you have any interesting career highlights, achievements, or passions outside of teaching?
Something people might not know about me is my love of animals and conservation. I've also become a rather enthusiastic birdwatcher, a hobby that arrived suspiciously on cue when I turned 30. There's something lovely about an activity that asks nothing of you except to be still and pay attention. It quietens my mind and reminds me how much we miss when we're rushing through life.
One of my greatest joys has been watching my two-year-old son, Connell, develop that same love for birds and animals. If I can raise a little person who is curious about the natural world and feels a responsibility to care for it, I'll consider that a pretty wonderful achievement.
What is one piece of advice you would give students for their future?
We live on a floating rock in an infinite universe. Don't overthink it. Life is far too short, strange and beautiful to spend most of it inside your own head.
Which IB Learner Profile attribute resonates with you the most, and why?
Open-minded. Personally, I love having my worldview challenged. There's something wonderful about encountering an idea that makes you reconsider something you thought you knew. And in the English classroom, we're constantly invited to do just that. We inhabit lives vastly different from our own, grapple with uncomfortable truths and try to make sense of the contradictions of being human. I love that literature rarely offers neat answers. Instead, it asks us to sit with ambiguity and entertain the possibility that two seemingly contradictory things can be true at once. Some of my favourite moments are when a student offers an interpretation I'd never considered, and suddenly a text I've taught countless times feels entirely new again.