Ethos

There is no such thing as a student who just isn't good at English. I have never met a student incapable of flourishing, incapable of rediscovering the assertive confidence which the study of Literature requires.

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Throughout my time in education, I have never come across a student who can't learn to love literature, who isn't genuinely capable of excelling in this subject, given the right support. I have, however, come across many students who at some point in their lives have been let down by inadequate teaching, and who have subsequently decided to switch off from the subject rather than to continue struggling to access it. 

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Excelling in the study of literature requires the systematic mastery of a whole range of interlinked skills - taken together, a solid grounding builds confidence, and progressively equips a student to thrive. Conversely, where a student has been let down at some point in their journey those skillsets will be missing. Repeatedly trying but failing at English is emotionally bruising - students tend to accept that they can't do it, and simply disengage. From there, things only get worse.

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My teaching process always begins with a diagnostic period, which is also the basis for establishing a safe and trusting lesson environment, through which a student can begin to be okay with the idea that tentatively failing is part of the journey - that I need to see them try and fail before we can begin to fix the foundations together.

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That being said, I also firmly believe that progress in English is achieved by the student - it's not something I can just give them. Unlike many other subjects, which really just require the acquisition of increasingly complicated knowledge, English also requires students to master the arts of both critical reading and capable writing. Progress in English is therefore gradual, and requires persistent application over time to achieve. It's more similar to learning to paint than it is to memorising the features of an oxbow lake. 

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As a teacher, I always avoid unhelpful teacher jargon and abstractions: for a student who doesn't know how to 'analyse an extract', telling them that they need to work on their analysis is no help at all. Instead, I systematically break down those abstractions into concrete steps, using processes and techniques that I have pioneered, and indeed that I have taught to many other teachers during my career.​​

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Over time, the satisfaction that comes from being able to pull apart language and critically appreciate how it works grows into a love for the process that is self-reinforcing, and the student really begins to flourish; once a student understands that progress is possible and commits themselves to making further progress, they really begin to fly.​​​​