Who was your most influential teacher? Why?
An AI-generated image of my late mother in her early forties (1970s) when I was ten. In this image she has joined me for a life drawing class in 2020.
I’m struck by a letter from my geography teacher. Looking back over diaries and letters from fifty years ago, I find it fascinating. He taught me from ages nine to thirteen. In the letter he wishes me well, recognises my interest in the subject, and encourages me to pursue it.
‘I’m glad you’re still enjoying the subject and I’m sure you’ll do very well – I always considered you to be one of the best geographers I taught.’
I did—eventually taking my first degree at the School of Geography, Oxford. His influence was quiet but decisive: he saw something early and named it.
My initial instinct was to give this accolade to the teachers. They guided me through my three A-levels at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle. Each played a critical role in getting me to where I wanted to be—good enough for Oxbridge. One taught me how to construct an essay. I used this trick throughout undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Another taught me how to support an argument with evidence. I read around a subject and took cited notes. Crucially, they taught me how to learn and test my knowledge. That two year apprenticeship culminated in a place at Balliol College, Oxford, to read Modern History.
But the deeper answer lies elsewhere.
I must give the greatest influence to my mother. She was an art teacher. She taught her own children (all four of us) to draw before we could read or write. Her approach combined technical discipline, art history knowledge, and a quiet but persistent expectation of excellence. That foundation has stayed with me throughout my life—in video production, photography, drawing, printmaking, and visual thinking more broadly. It shaped not just what I can do, but how I see.
Her influence extended beyond art. She hoped I’d teach. My path took many turns. I went through the School of Communication Arts and into production. Later, I earned formal qualifications including an MA in Education and a teaching diploma. Despite this journey, I still describe myself as an educator. That identity begins with her.
Individual teachers at school helped me succeed within the system. However, my mother shaped how I think, create, and teach. She remains my most influential teacher.
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