“Have you done your homework?”
The question I used to dread on a Sunday night before school. Art School homework was not so much of a chore as it meant, sometimes, sitting up all night surrounded by pencils, paintbrushes, charcoal, gouache, pastels or oils turning out a 2D piece – or fiddling with Stanley knife, cardboard and glue for a 3D assignment (usually without considering how I would actually get it into college). Then came University. Oh, the hours of reading, reading, reading, loving it and ruining my eyes. As it happened, that turned out to be a happy academic result – although I do, occasionally wonder whether they got my papers mixed up with someone else’s.

These days, I set the homework. Next to writing, I absolutely love teaching. Most of it is about instilling confidence, giving a student time and support, and then the tiniest of pushes towards an open door. BUT it means that I, too, have to swat up. Course content changes all the time and, as I teach English Literature, Language and Drama from GCSE to University level, it means keeping up to speed with new and old material and the syllabuses of several boards.

Still, lucky me, still doing something to make my heart glad.

This week I’m teaching:
(Click on an image if you’d like a link to buy)