Article by: Nicole
What inspires you to be a teacher? How did you cope during the online learning period? Why Tenby?
All these questions were answered when I sat down and interviewed one of our many talented Art teachers at Tenby SEP.
Mr. Carr first joined the Tenby community last year, amid the wearying global pandemic, which we can all imagine must not have been easy, especially as a teacher in a new school and new country however he still managed to influence and share his knowledge with a myriad of grateful students in Secondary.
What inspires you to be an impactful teacher?
Honestly, I just want to give back to the community that gave so much to me, as well as to influence, impact, and help young people! And not to mention, share my love for Art & Design.
Out of all the schools in Malaysia, what made you believe that Tenby was the right choice for you?
Tenby is an amazing school with a brilliant track record for success with polite and hardworking students. They’re always so eager to learn and develop their art skills– it’s awesome!
Being a teacher during a global pandemic, with everything being online and dependant on technology, must have been a strange and difficult experience. How did you cope with it?
Well, it was different, but I managed to cope with various ways such as occasionally standing up while teaching, which was admittedly quite difficult, especially with art but it did prevent backpain. I’d also play with my lizard and look out the window at the world that we were held back from.
What top tips do you have for students who are currently worried about exams and preparation for them?
Well, I’ll tell you what I did when I was a student. I know people hear this a lot, but revision is key. Now when I say revision, I mean stop revising the day before the exam. Being confident is very important and practice questions are valuable. My other piece of advice is to, believe it or not, procrastinate. Draw, paint, take a walk, relax! Go to bed when you feel you need to; get that rest. And eat fish – mackerel – as it’s brain food. Lastly, have everything prepared the night before – lay out an ironed uniform, have a good breakfast… Routine is important. You just must believe in yourself and believe that you can do it and you will. If not, then there is always time to grow and learn from your mistakes.
That’s great advice. Do you have any hobbies outside of school?
Yeah, I enjoy herping, martial arts, painting, of course, and anything to do with nature!
Do you have any advice for aspiring (art) teachers?
Love your subject. Love your subject and you’ll be able to teach it well.
Thank you! Any last words of wisdom?
Tough times don’t last, tough people do!
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