Words and people. Those are my two* passions. English Literature - the subject I studied** at university and the subject I now teach - unites both. Flawless prose makes me shiver in a way that visual art never could. And people? A good story hinges on the plausibility of its characters. The shock of the perfect plot twist: "I can't believe it!" you cry, at the same time as "Of course!".I love to read, and write, and talk - that's why being an English teacher suits me (every teacher secretly loves a captive audience!). And teenagers are the best kind of audience - full of surprises and painfully honest. Watching them grow and learn to navigate the world is a privilege. No two days - no two moments - in a school are the same.I also love to strategise - that's the philosopher in me. What's the end point and how do I get there? If I don't like the direction, give me the rationale and let me find another route. As an Assistant Principal, I get to lead on my school's teaching and learning priorities. How can I ensure all of our students are proficient readers by the end of year 8? What's the best way to quality-assure the curriculum while fostering an open-door, non-judgemental culture? When I know I'm right I can be fairly obstinate. But that's ok because I'm right, right?And in the quiet hours of a Saturday and Sunday mornings, I write my own prose, fed by the freshwater spring of the occasional Arvon retreat. Is it flawless? It's getting there. Slowly. *My third passion is my cat. I just haven't found a way to link him to my professional life yet. He's quite lazy.** As a non-English-Lit graduate once pointed out, reading English at university isn't exactly studying. It's lying around reading amazing books and writing about them occasionally. Shh!