What is your role at the MENA PD Academy?

I am the lead teacher trainer for Macmillan Education in the MENA region.

How did you end up working in education?

Well, I actually starting by volunteering in Early Years Education and Special Educational Needs support in the UK. I was more interested in the way children grow and are shaped by the world around them, so I studied Child Development and Social and Cultural Anthropology, and this formed an entry point for my journey into education really. I then completed my CELTA in Prague and taught, trained and examined in many countries around the world, before finally moving to Dubai to work in educational publishing.

What is your main area of interest for the coming year?

Well, I would have to say Advancing Inclusivity, and our new Education for Sustainable Development and Citizenship (ESDC) programme. I have several events and plans for this topic in 2022..!

What is your favourite place in MENA?

This is a really tough one... I have been to so many places in MENA! There have been adventures (like taking a one-way train ticket to the south of Tunisia, driving from Bahrain to Dubai, or even getting stuck on a remote beach in Oman), and places that have blown me away (for example, my wife and I have enjoyed a picnic breakfast alone together at both the Treasury at Petra AND inside Karnak Temple). I also cannot wait to discover more of MENA in the future...

What is your favourite book?

Another tough one. My favourite memory of reading a book is probably The Lord of the Rings... I remember being under the covers with a flashlight and was just swept into by this incredibly magical, fantasy world.