Shani

It’s no exaggeration to say that I have dedicated my life to literature; I’m a highly qualified A Level, GCSE and KS3 English teacher with 15 years of teaching experience and an excellent track record for ‘value added’ in student grades, as well as extensive experience with pastoral care.

I believe that the skills honed by the study of literature- analysis, independent thinking, intellectual resilience and an appreciation of complexity and nuance- are not only necessary to achieve excellent results, but also vital to face the uncertainties (and embrace the opportunities) of the modern world. I am excited about developing these skills in students, and in getting to know them as individuals so that they can find their place and pursue their passions in life.

Passion combined with dedication has defined my own relationship with learning and shapes my approach to teaching. Born to working-class parents, I won an academic scholarship to Durham High School for Girls and a place at the University of Cambridge to read English. Upon graduation in 2010 with a 2.1, I began formal teacher training while already teaching full-time, gaining an ‘outstanding’ GTTP qualification on the job. Having been quickly promoted to deputy head of department, I realised that teaching my subject was my real passion, so I returned to the classroom while completing a Masters degree in Victorian Studies at Birkbeck, for which I earned a Distinction, a grant for academic excellence, and two prizes. An example of a lifelong learner, I am aware of the challenges and the rewards of resilience, enthusiasm and hard work, and I inspire these traits in my students.

Today, my expertise continues to consist of more than ‘just’ learning and teaching, extending beyond the classroom into academia and professional writing. I currently work as a poet and academic researcher alongside teaching, completing a creative-critical PhD project which is fully funded by the CHASE consortium, teaching undergraduates, writing poetry, performing at and organising poetry events, and speaking at conferences. This means I have connections to the university sector and can offer mock interviews, insights into the courses and experts best suited to students, and real-world experience as a creative writer.

In sum, as a highly experienced and effective teacher, researcher, writer and presenter with links to the world beyond school, tutelage with me is an education, fittingly enough, in literature and in life.

Tutoring Experience

• Fifteen years of teaching experience in English Language and Literature in the independent sector, teaching students with different needs and aptitudes.

• I have taught A Level, KS3 and GCSE throughout my career, and my students typically gain excellent value added on their baseline scores. The department I work in at present is second in the country for value added and each cohort typically achieves over 85% A*-A at GCSE.

• Experience teaching a creative writing module to undergraduates at Birkbeck University of London.

• I have individually mentored many students over the years, both in terms of GCSE and A Level exam content and in conducting mock interviews for Cambridge.

• I have delivered public-facing talks about my research at the National Association of Victorian Studies, Kew Gardens, and devised and hosted a series of online events as part of a poet’s residency I won with charity walk-listen-create. I therefore have a wealth of experience of adapting material to different audiences, devising creative learning strategies, and delivering multiple projects at once.

Tutoring Approach

My approach is student-centred and warm, but still intellectually rigorous; I tailor tasks responsively to the needs of the student and their learning preferences.

To achieve our shared goals and bring out the best in students, I use many types of task- discussion and annotation, audio-visual stimulus, adaptive questioning, writing tasks, modelling, scaffolding, written and verbal feedback, and ‘flipped learning’.

In my years of experience, I have encountered many students who thought they ‘hated English’, and who changed their minds under my care. However, I do not believe in spoon-feeding, but in intellectual investigation together. I look forward to meeting you!