SE CHRONICLE 684

36 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Lauren Bray What do you do at Teddies and how long have you been here? This is the start of my fifth year at Teddies. I began as a Teacher of English and Tutor in Oakthorpe and I am now the HM of Mac’s. I am also involved with Beyond Teddies, helping to organise and supervise service opportunities for our pupils. What did you do before? Before I came to Teddies, I worked at Parkwood Academy in Sheffield, again as a teacher of English. Prior to that position, I worked at a special educational needs school providing classroom support for pupils with complex needs. Surprisingly, I never planned to become a teacher. Much of my early career and educational background was in archiving, museums and heritage – it was really an accidental discovery that working in a school was much more fun than hiding in dusty backrooms full of yellowing paper. What are you most looking forward to about being a Housemistress? The fun! Boarding Houses are always full of hilarity, energy and happiness. Of course, there are difficult days, weeks – even years. But through the difficulty there is something joyful about so many young people living together as a community. It is a great privilege to be able to watch and guide pupils as they become young adults. What are your ambitions for the pupils in Mac’s? For the pupils to be happy, curious and independent. It is important that they find a secure sense of belonging – and understand that belonging isn’t about fitting in but having a strong sense of who they are as an individual. When pupils leave school with a strong sense of belonging, they can carry it forward to whatever comes next. Name some highlights from your Teddies career so far. Definitely the House Singing competition. I am always in awe of the confidence and camaraderie of the pupils. The Dance Shows are unfailingly incredible. And watching the Sixth Form pupils give so

much to the service programme is always wonderful. Why do you think co-education is important? Because life is co-educational. When our pupils leave school, they will inevitably work with, and perhaps live with, members of the opposite sex. Difference, and an understanding of difference, is vital to the development of new ideas. Co-education challenges gender-based stereotypes – misconceptions are removed before they can be entrenched when, for example, the girls see the boys

excel at dance and the boys watch the girls playing a brilliant game of football. Best advice you’ve ever been given? Worrying means you suffer twice. Which book would you take to a desert island and why? Perhaps an odd choice for an English Teacher, but I would probably take 101 Dalmatians. It is a book I revisit when I’m in need of a little comfort. The films aren’t a patch on the book – give it a go if you haven’t!

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