Sarah Maxwell Although I may seem to have been at St John’s forever, in fact I started my career by teaching for three years in a primary school in Saffron Walden. During that time, I joined a Gilbert and Sullivan group that was run by Mrs Mary Cullen, who was then the Head of Science at St John’s. Another member was Mrs Jane Greenfield, a teacher here. During our rests from flitting about as fairies in Iolanthe, Jane was so effusive about the school that I applied for a teaching post. The rest, as they say, is history. It is extraordinary to realise that this was 38 years ago and I have been here ever since. There has never been any reason to think of doing anything else and it was only when I started to find children of pupils I had taught coming into my classes that I began to realise that time was passing. Sad though it is to be leaving, it is definitely time to go before I find myself teaching their grandchildren! Not only has the school changed enormously over the years, not least in the buildings and facilities as we have expanded along the street, but so has my job here. Having started as a Form 1 teacher, I soon moved up to Form 2, where I was for many years. Both these forms were at that time based at Senior House and, when they moved to Byron House in 1995, I moved up to Form 3. As well as general subjects, I have usually taught some Latin, and I have always taught Religious Studies. In 1990, I was appointed Head of R.S. and Worship, taking responsibility for assemblies and services as well as the academic subject, and in 2010 I also became the Lay Chaplain. Other activities have included running Country Dancing clubs, and I edited The Eaglet from 1983-1991. From as far back as I can remember, my ambition was to be a teacher. How lucky am I, then, that I have been able to spend the whole of my adult life on my childhood ambition. It has more than fulfilled my hopes and I have loved, if not every minute, the vast majority of minutes. I would like to thank all the pupils whom I have taught over the years for the tremendous fun we have had, for their patient humouring of my propensity to name items in my classroom and enjoying with me the company of characters such as Furry Bag, Bernie the Bin etc. It has been an enormous privilege to teach R.S. to every pupil, from the time they listen with big eyes and rapt attention while I tell a Bible story in Form 1, through our donning of scarves and removal of shoes for our visits to varied places of worship in Form 4, to some sophisticated in-depth discussions of biblical interpretation and ethical issues in Form 6.
Dr Maxwell’s first Form in 1981
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The Eaglet 2018 ~ Leavers
St John’s has been my life for so long that I can’t imagine not being part of the school and I am sure I shall be back often to visit. However, I am excited at the prospects of having time to see more of my non-Cambridge friends and my many nephews and nieces, of discovering what opportunities exist for fun and fulfilment outside St John’s, and especially of not having to get up in the dark.