BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW… BOHUNT SCHOOL STUDENT TEACHER INTERVIEW

TEACHER: SHAFIK (SHAF) HANSRAJ, TEACHER OF GEOGRAPHY AND BOHUNT SCHOOL OUTDOOR EDUCATION LEAD STUDENT: LILA Y11

Lila To Shaf

What inspired you to be a teacher?

I started in 2005, 13 years ago, I’m not sure what drove me to teaching, it’s something I fell into! I filled in two applications for Uni, flipped a coin and it landed Geography side up! My university lecturer dropped a hint that I might want to try teaching, so I did a couple of taster sessions at a local secondary school and fell in love with it, so here I am 13 years later!

If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be?

My family worked in the public sector, my mother was a nurse and a paramedic at one point. I would have liked to have been a paramedic. If I wasn’t doing this now, I suppose a leader in outdoor education would have been a path I would have liked to pursue.

What’s the best part of your job?

The variety, no two days are the same, no week is the same and no year is the same, something always changes. The opportunities that Bohunt has given me, I don’t think I would have got that anywhere else.

Who are your heroines/heroes?

That’s a difficult question! Any of the famous pioneering early Antarctic explorers, Shackleton and Tom Crean for example, because they were embarking on things that were so new and innovative, similar to the space programme. There’s a lot we can learn today from them.

Why did you choose to teach at Bohunt School?

I was offered the job and I thought why not. There have been some great opportunities: it’s been like working for 3 different schools since I arrived.

Tell me a little about a teacher that inspired you

My old Maths teacher, Mr Holmes. He was the kind of teacher everyone would like to be. He was a patient teacher who really taught me that Maths wasn’t as scary as I first thought! He didn’t give up! He knew how to get the best out of his students.

What is one exciting teaching method you use?

Challenge-based learning projects, directed by students, where they are asked and encouraged to ask their own questions and where they can learn at their own pace.

What are your thoughts on education today?

It’s gone through a big period of change, I think it is now stable, but there have been too many changes recently. There’s a lot of pressures on teachers and students and I think that’s been the bigger shift in change.

Shaf To Lila

Tell me about yourself in 30 seconds

I am a year 11 student at Bohunt School Liphook. I enjoy school and after school I do a lot of dance, reading, maths & science.

What are your strengths?

Maths. I am hardworking and dedicated. I like maths-based, logical subjects, I find essay writing harder.

What are your weaknesses?

English! I do enjoy English but it’s not my strongest. Give one example of something you enjoy, respect or have achieved at Bohunt School.

I really like that I have stayed with the same tutor group throughout my time here. It brings a closeness to our group, and we socialise outside of school. Last year I went on the Mandarin Exchange programme, that was a real achievement for me as was my early GCSEs in Mandarin and Statistics.

What or whom inspires you?

I don’t have a particular role model but the possibility of future achievements excites me.

What are your plans for the future after leaving school?

I’m hoping to study A levels and to go to University, to study Maths, Physics, EPQ’s, and Further Maths.

What is your favourite line from a film/song/book?

It’s from the Diary of Anne Frank, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

What one thing would you change about school life? There’s a lot of pressure but I know this can’t be changed..