Chronicle Summer 2023

42 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Dr Claudia Ord You joined us as a Teacher of Classics in April. Tell us a bit about your education and career so far. Born and raised in Germany, I studied Classics and Classical Archaeology for my MA at Heidelberg and then came to Oxford for my DPhil. My time as a university lecturer (Oxford and Melbourne, Australia) was the beginning of my love for teaching. I spent the last 14 years at Oxford High School, first as a Classics teacher, and later adding Head of Careers, involvement in Higher Education and Oxbridge Coordinator to my job description. Who or what inspired you to become a classicist? My passion for Classics was fuelled by having the privilege to have been taught by, and having worked with, some of the greatest Classicists both at Heidelberg and at Oxford. Classics allows one to continue to pursue one’s own interests, may it be by researching medicine in the ancient world, by studying Hellenistic poetry, learning about the origins of democracy or by engaging with Cicero’s courtroom speeches. One could even learn how to keep bees simply by reading Virgil’s Georgics! The range of possibilities is endless. Did you enjoy your schooldays? I went to a co-ed school in Germany, which provided me with amazing opportunities. I learnt Latin, Classical Greek, English, Spanish and French, instilling a lifelong passion for learning and speaking languages, and for travelling and living abroad. Admittedly, what I loved most at school, though, was music and dance. What are you most enjoying about working at Teddies? I am very excited about teaching in a co-ed environment. Teaching at Teddies comes with the privilege to support pupils to discover and fulfil their potential both academically and as global citizens. Do you have a favourite place in Oxford? I must admit I change my mind on this every year. During the pandemic, my favourite place in Oxford was Wytham Woods. The tranquillity and closeness to nature restored energy away from online meetings. What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies or other passions? When I am not busy chauffeuring my eldest to and from rowing or my youngest to do some den building in the woods, I enjoy singing, reading, playing the flute, or inviting friends

What are you currently reading? I am currently revisiting a book called Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R Hofstadter, which allows me to see my love for maths and logic combined with an analysis of the works of one of my favourite composers, Bach. And I am at last getting around to reading Michael Squire’s book, The Iliad in a Nutshell: Visualizing Epic on the Tabulae Iliacae.

over for a BBQ. I am known to create three course dinner parties on my kettle grill mainly using produce grown in our garden. Best advice you’ve ever been given? ‘Panta rhei’ (everything flows) and ‘if you don’t ask you don’t get’. The pre-Socratic philosophers and my family are to blame for my ambition to live life with a positive, can-do attitude. The world is constantly changing, and we need to move with the times. This is much more easily achieved if we support each other.