Education
TALKING HEAD
We put Titus Mills, headmaster at Walhamption School, to the test with our questions, which reveal his being asked to leave Eton, a childhood dislike for subjects that involved numbers, and how his teaching inspiration was found in a refugee camp What is your first schoolrelated memory? Starting at a new school, aged five, and being terribly homesick on the first morning. I recall drawing a house, with a fat brown crayon, but I was crying so much my tears literally washed the picture away. Can you tell us where you spent your education – both primary and secondary? I spent five years at Pilgrims’ School, in Winchester’s Cathedral Close. I was very happy there and the feeling of ‘family’ made a strong impression on me. I then spent five years at Eton. Academic life slightly passed me by, but I loved the arts and chasing after a football. What did you most enjoy about your schools days? The friendships. You can learn every bit as much through
your friends, as you can in any academic lesson. That’s where many of life’s enduring lessons are forged – on the games field, the dining room, the stage, the dormitories, the playground … with your pals. What was your favourite subject? History of Art. Late on in my education I realised that I was – and still am – predominantly a visual learner. History of Art became a complete passion, first at secondary school and then at university. History of Art unlocked learning for me. Here was a subject that showed me the joy of study. It was a ‘light bulb’ moment. …and the subject you most struggled with? Maths, physics, chemistry. Any subject with a number in it.
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What was the ‘naughtiest’ thing you recall doing as a pupil? I was caught climbing up a drain pipe to get back into my house at Eton, having spent the night revelling in the bright lights of Windsor, which was out of bounds at the time. The headmaster took a dim view and asked me to leave Eton as soon as I had completed my A-levels. Was there one teacher who really helped shape your love of learning? Sonam Choden. A wonderful Tibetan lady, who taught English at a refugee school in northern India. I spent six months working with her in the 1980s, and Sonam’s passion for her subject, and her love of those pupils, opened my eyes to the power of education and inspirational teaching. I aim to go back to the Himalayas next April, to meet her, thank her and tell her how she changed the course of my life. Do you get much chance to teach now? Not as much as I would like. I teach some history lessons, which I love, and I really enjoy preparing weekly assembly and chapel talks, which are like ‘mini’ lessons. What other jobs did you consider when you were younger? I definitely didn’t consider being Titus helping heroes!
a teacher. I wanted to be Robin Hood, a footballer, a soldier and a journalist. Actually, I still want to be Robin Hood. If you had magic powers, what is the one thing that might improve the current education system? I would ensure that inner city state schools, with cramped concrete playgrounds, had immediate access to huge green fields, woodland, sports pitches and acres of open space. I spent years teaching in state primaries in inner city London and I always longed for my pupils to be able run freely and to feel close to nature. What recent achievement for the school have you been most proud of? The unique relationship that has grown up between Walhampton and the surviving veterans of the Battle of Arnhem, from World War II. We take parents and pupils to Arnhem, Holland, every year to learn about the battle and to hear, first hand, the stories from the veterans, many of whom have become close friends and now visit Walhampton annually. These remarkable friendships, that span the generations, have taught us more about humanity, than military matters. n For more: Walhampton School, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 5ZG. tel: 01590 613300; www.walhampton.com