Quickfire Questions: Rosalind Kirby

Primary school teacher Rosalind still loves visiting the Warwick campus

Why did you choose Warwick?

It had a great reputation, and my mum (a secondary drama teacher in Hampshire, where I'm from) knew and rated the drama teachers. I also came to do my PGCE a couple of years after completing my undergraduate degree in Economics and Warwick was one of the places that valued a non-curriculum degree and work experience as opposed to seeing this as a hurdle to overcome.

What are you doing now?

Primary school teacher (and children's author when I get the time!).

What motivates you to do what you do? 

I love making a difference to children in their formative years - both in terms of curriculum content and (in my mind, more importantly) life lessons.

How has your time at Warwick influenced what you do now? 

I loved completing my PGCE at Warwick and was especially inspired by the English and Drama input we had. However, I also clearly remember a Maths lecture where we were told that sometimes we are best at teaching the things that don't come as naturally to us (this is definitely true for me, a words person rather than a numbers person!) and that's really stuck with me. It means I know I teach clearly when I need to put more effort into understanding the subject myself, but it also means I check myself when teaching the things I know and love inside out, making sure that I'm not assuming knowledge or comprehension on the part of my class, just because it's second nature to me.

Favourite memory? 

Being captivated by one of our English teachers reading us a story on a sunny afternoon, illustrating just how significant reading for pleasure is – whether you're a child or an adult.

Best thing about the Warwick community?

As I still live locally, I love visiting the campus and always appreciate how welcoming it is, whether coming for special events, to the theatre, to the sports centre, or for any other reason. I've also enjoyed returning as a guest on a module about science and storytelling (in my capacity as an author) for one of the science degrees and would love the chance to come back and do more things like that.

Favourite place on campus?

Currently the Sports Centre, although I wish the pool had as many public lanes available as it used to!

Rosalind Kirby

PGCE (Primary), 2005