Matthew

Education is the core of all things good. I want to teach because I want to show aspiring students that literature is not about themes, quotes, or teacherly contrivances, but rather it is about us: what we do, how we do it, and why. The curricula and mark schemes: these are only the base layer, to become second nature with practice. I will draw on my profoundly rewarding experience teaching in London and Tokyo to elevate not only my tutorial students’ marks, their analytic and critical skills, but more fundamentally I will foster a core curiosity about the endless possibilities of literature and language. I will use my clear and lively communicative style – ever-growing from a lifelong enthusiasm for literature, debating, and filmmaking – to markedly improve my students’ written and spoken ability.

I recognise that in the limits of the classroom the student cannot always be given the attention they deserve. Yet even more than this, the classroom cannot always be conducive to the very principle which underpins my desire to teach: curiosity and enthusiasm. I know that my hands-on, dynamic style, joining a serious and diligent attitude to the set-texts with a lively teaching style will allow students of any confidence-level to approach their work with advanced critical tools and a newfound enthusiasm. It is this approach to teaching that lead me to be invited back to Tokyo to teach for a second year, and it is this approach to teaching that garnered me praise from professional educators at Fulham Primary School.

My ambition is to become a film-director, but I have ever wanted to teach: the beauty of language, the importance of our texts, and what they mean for our lives. As I complete my second professional production, I am increasingly recognising how my directorial ambitions and my desire to teach are entwined: clarity of communication, an holistic understanding of the subject matter, and a friendly and convivial demeanour that will, in education, allow students to view their curriculums as lively and (dare I say?) fun! Ultimately, I want to teach English language and literature because it is perhaps the most integral part of our identities. Again: what we say, how we say it, and why.

Willing to travel: 20 miles

Experience: Over 70 hours of teaching:

- Worked for JK Educate

Fulham Primary School, London
Teaching Assistant 01/2017 to 03/2017

• Educated young children, aiding their literacy and critical skills
• Developed and taught lessons on relevant books, poems, films and themes to promote student interest
• Successfully improved student participation in the classroom through integration of creative role-playing exercises

Chokkura Teaching Programme, Tokyo, Japan
English Language Teacher 08/2019

• Researched, organised, and presented classes across the programme, from grammar to British culture
• Adapted my methods of teaching to a foreign student body, refining my clarity of communication
• Honed my ability to attentively listen to non-fluent English speakers
• I was invited back to teach again the following year, via Zoom

DBS Check: Yes