Deputy Achievement Leader (Deputy Head of Year for a secondary school in south London).

Professionally, I have worked in education for the past 13 years having both academic and pastoral roles with management and leadership responsibilities. Over the last two years, I discovered a natural eye for detail and the need to correct. A range of opportunities came my way enabling me to develop this skill as well as teach basic grammar, punctuation and general literacy to children up to adult age where english was not always an individuals first language. To this day, I still find it quite interesting that teaching, particularly the subject of English, and pursing an education at degree level, have all been a consistent legacy that lived in the hearts of the women in my own family, dating as far back as 18th century in Jamaica.

Stories like these inspire me and make me proud to be an educator, a manager, a leader in education making a positive difference on the next generation I am responsible for / accountable to. For me, school was fun, because I messed about a lot when I should have focused on my learning. Because I had to retake several subjects, I left full-time compulsory education later than my peers. In my later years, I worked harder because it took that amount of time to value having an education/learning and the opportunities I was confronted with. Coupled with strong, old-school committed parents, grandparents and extended family, I have become who I am today.

What are your interests?  
I am interested in cooking, baking, listening to inspirational life-changing experiences, educational documentaries, discussing/debating current affairs/educational-related issues and the child/young adult within the education system.

What is your mantra? 
Whatever you do, do it with an excellent attitude. Also a wise proverb, ‘in all your getting, getting understanding’.

No one individual. People in general, regardless of their background, present circumstances, makeup etc from many walks of life e.g. Dr Juanita Bynum, Margaret Thatcher, Bishop TD Jakes, Beyonce and Sonia Meggie…to name a few.

I listen to music, mostly gospel, or to stories of people who have had challenging experiences, but overcome them; lessons learnt encourage, challenge and motivate me to keep going.

2014 is definitely a new season for me. Many opportunities are coming my way and i’m seizing them like never before…watch this space!

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