Hear from our Students: An Interview with Becky Allen
As the school year comes to an end, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the teachers who will be leaving us this summer and asked them to reflect on their time at St Clare’s.
How long have you been at St Clare’s?
This is my third year at the college.
What made you decide to become a teacher?
In my 20s, I worked at the British Museum and had loads of interesting jobs. Then I found myself doing a very research-based work in an attic office with a colleague who loved slow, steady work. Suddenly, I realised, this isn’t me. I wanted to be with people, busy, surrounded by energy. And then I thought: young people provide that. They bring unpredictable highs and lows, and while some teaching is hard, the vast majority is so fun. That cliché that no two days are the same is genuinely true, and that was my main driver.
What has been your favourite memory during your time here?
Some of the things that have given me most joy have been very unexpected. When we did Birdwatching Society, the visits to Kodaikanal, the friends I’ve made there, in a part of India I would have never visited without St Clare's. There’s been loads.
What is the funniest moment you have experienced here?
I think I laugh at work every day for different reasons. One funny memory was the first time Dave and I wrote our graduation speech, the different versions were very funny. I also have a funny team. Emily is hilarious, and Gabby is so funny. Some of our work is heavy and requires sensitivity, so it is important to also have really light hearted conversations.
What is something you ’ll miss about the students?
Oh, so much. This is also the first school I’ve worked in with such an absence of bullying and unkindness. I mean, no school is perfect, but this is the student body I’ve worked with that’s the closest to the most positive, most inclusive, the friendliest. I’m going to miss that a lot.
If you had to describe your time here in three words, what would they be?
Joyful, nourishing and life-enhancing.
Do you have any advice for current students?
It’s quite annoying advice because it sounds stern, but I think everybody should remember the privilege of having this education. Your generation will face conflict, poverty and climate change, and while it’s unfair to pass those challenges onto young people, you have a real advantage in how you’ve met one another, how you’ve been taught, and how you learned to think critically. I don’t mean material privilege, but the opportunity to learn who you are as learners and people. Hold onto that privilege of being given this respect and space to think when you go into the real world.
by Maja (IB27) for Clarity Magazine