Suzanne Ford-Hutchinson - Head of Achievement

How long have you been in education?  

I'm currently in my eighth year of teaching, having changed career from the role of a  

compliance and audit manager, for a large Telecommunications company. I am currently a teacher of geography and Year 7 head of achievement.

Where has the career taken you and how have you progressed, personally or professionally? 

Working with secondary school children has taught me incredible patience and given me insight and understanding of the wider social aspects of our communities. Without doubt, becoming a teacher has helped me to become more empathetic with my own children and feel more confident as a parent. Professionally, it has been a privilege to reengage with geography, at a time when it couldn't be more relevant to children's lives. Opportunities available in school have led me to be involved in a wide variety of areas, from overseeing enrichment to becoming a head of achievement for our new Year 7's. The international trips to Iceland and France have been a bonus too! 

What is your favourite aspect of teaching? 

Building relationships with the students that I teach and having their attention in lessons, whilst they form an understanding about new and important geographical concepts. Watching students become passionate about our current global issues and being able to convey their understanding of them, is exciting and gives me hope for a bright future.  

Can you recall a time, at any point during your career, that you felt you’d made a difference in child’s life? 

I believe as a teacher, that you very quickly underestimate or even forget, that you are making a positive difference to a child's life, most of the time. The biggest reminders often come after exams, when students express you how influential you have been throughout those challenging times and over the years that you have taught them. Sometimes however, it can be the smaller aspects of being simply being kind and giving students a few minutes of your time to talk to them, that mean the most.  

 

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of teaching? 

Why not? If you want a career that allows you to talk about your favourite subject all day, has a wide variety of opportunity, with lots of benefits - then it's perfect. You'll never have a dull day again!