Overview
I hold BA Hons (a 2:1) in music and Italian from Durham Univ, and did a PGCE to teach secondary maths and music at Cambridge Univ, and then a BSc Hons in maths (a first) with the Open Univ.
After a decade teaching secondary maths in the private sector in Exeter followed by 4 years teaching in NZ, Tonga and the Cook Isles, I returned to Exeter to do an MA (with merit) and PhD in Theology at Exeter Univ. My thesis was an investigation into the distinctiveness of the understanding of soteriology of Dr Thomas Arnold ie. an immersion into 19th century church history.
Whilst waiting for my theology viva in 2006, I asked if I could sit in on some Exeter maths lectures, just to see how the content differed from my OU maths background. I did all the work along with the students, and got to know various lecturers, and was asked to take on some marking of coursework at the next presentations.This I did.....and have been doing ever since, and my role in the maths department has grown steadily. For several years I have 'womaned' the thrice-weekly drop-in help sessions for lst years, and over the years I have helped with almost all 1st year modules, either marking or taking tutorials, plus doing marking and adjudicating seminars for the 3rd year History and Culture of Maths module. I really enjoy being part of the fun and games in the maths dept here, even though my role is rather irregular and I 'got in through the back door'.
Alongside my work here, I tutor one pure maths and one stats course for the OU, and I mark A-level and GSCE papers for a public exam board twice a year, and I teach maths at INTO, and I have up to a dozen private pupils.
I also do as much music as I can fit in, being a keen singer, violinist, double-bassist and pianist.
