ONE MINUTE WITH MR SPELMAN

Mr D Spelman English Teacher

What three words would you use to describe your job role? Challenging, Rewarding, Inspiring. What do you like most about your job? The learners. Even on the hardest days there isn’t a day where a learner doesn’t make me laugh, or make me proud of something they’ve done. It’s a privilege to get to be a part of someone’s journey - getting to witness learners grow into themselves and their confidence is really rewarding.

Given the chance, who would you like to be for a day? Beyonce - naturally. I think she is the best person to ever exist.

What do you wish you knew more about? Cars - I have no interest in them whatsoever, but am also on my 8th car in 8 years … so some knowledge of how best to buy and/or maintain cars would clearly be beneficial…

What was the best book or series that you’ve ever read/watched? My favourite book is ‘Me before You’ by Jojo Moyes - it’s beautiful and heartbreaking and it makes you think about the importance of truly living life, rather than just exist-

What’s your favourite line from a film? ‘I made the discovery - Love - all at once and much, much too completely’ - from A Streetcar named Desire by Tennesse Williams - I suppose that’s more of a play than a film, but I think it’s one of the most beautiful lines ever written. If you could only travel to one other country, which country would you choose? America - specifically New York. I’m a HUGE theatre geek, so my big dream is to go to New York to see lots of shows on Broadway.

What is the first concert you attended? Beyonce at the 02 - I was sat all the way up in the rafters, but the fact that we were even in the same postcode? Life changing.

Name Your Favourite Children’s Story? My Shadow is Purple - by Scott Stuart. It’s a beautiful story that discusses non-binary identities and embracing what makes you unique, teaching about difference and diversity in an empowering yet ‘child-friendly’ way.

What Book Has Influenced You Greatly? How?

The Diary of Anne Frank - I was obsessed with this when I was younger and I think it was one of the earliest things that taught me the power of words and the importance of having a voice - these are the things I want students to take away from English.

What is the one thing, you can’t live without? Coke Zero - much to the dismay of my learning group, who are increasingly concerned about the amount of caffeine I need to make it through the day.

If you could go on one reality show, what would it be? Rupaul’s Drag Race - my name would be Toyah Zaruss and my entrance line would be ‘I didn’t come to slay, I came to play’. So if teaching doesn’t work out… If you were given a 3 minute slot on prime time TV, what would you sell, what message would you give? How would you use this time to make the most impact? I’d do something awfully preachy and English teacher-esque about the importance of words and the power of having a voice - very Miss World answer I know! However, everything I have achieved in my life has stemmed from having a few important people tell me that my voice matters and that I have something worth saying - I’d want to pass that on to others. If You Had Your Own Talk Show, Who Would Your First Three Guests Be? Beyoncé (a theme is emerging…), Olympic dressage rider Carl Hester and Johannes Radabe from Strictly Come Dancing - All huge icons of mine, so a WILDLY selfish show.

Would you rather go hang gliding or whitewater rafting? Whitewater rafting - I’m terrified of heights!

What city would you most like to live in? Of the cities I’ve been to Berlin would be my top choice - it has such interesting history and culture, it’s incredibly diverse and the transport is so reliable.

What movie title best describes your life? Waiting To Exhale- I’m a very chatty man! Why did you decide to do the work you are doing now? I worked as a horse-riding instructor for many years and LOVED it, but gradually found I enjoyed the teaching side more and more - I got to a point where I wanted to transfer this into another setting - Horses are my first love and one of my biggest passions, but it can be somewhat of an elitist sport. I got such joy from helping people achieve their goals in this sport, but realised I could apply this so much more in teaching English - whether you love Shakespeare and Dickens or hate the thought of ever opening a book, English is a core subject that opens doors for you in life - not just the qualification, but the skill of communication and the knowledge that your voice matters and what you have to say is valid and necessary - I wanted to develop these skills in others, to open doors for others in the way that doors have been opened for me.