Getting to know you: Geography

Posted on: 30/09/2021

 

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Two new, well-travelled additions to our Geography teaching team tell us about the personal passions that inspire them

You don’t have to be mad about travel to teach Geography but Tom Cooper, right, certainly is. ‘I love to try new things, to meet new people and to visit new places,’ says the Adelaide-born Aussie, who this year is teaching Business and History, as well as Geography across our 10s -14s (Years Six to Ten) age groups.

His travels have already taken Mr Cooper to global landmarks including the summit of Kilimanjaro and Everest base camp and he still has a long list of must-visit destinations in mind, including a top five of Argentina, Iceland, Japan, Canada and Mexico.

Tom Cooper is keen to point out that his love of geography and his wanderlust are both driven by a desire to investigate where the world is going in the 21st Century.  ‘Nepal is the most amazing place. It’s one of the poorest countries in the world. Yet, I found it to be among the happiest,’ he says. ‘I’d love to know why that is and what we can learn from it.’

Tom Cooper is keen to point out that his love of geography and his wanderlust are both driven by a desire to investigate where the world is going in the 21st Century.

 

His new Geography department colleague, Jon Bryson, is also distinctly well travelled, having spent stints teaching in Sri Lanka and Kenya in a 25-year teaching career. Mr Bryson, who is teaching classes from 11s (year 7) all the way up to the Sixth Form, is a passionate advocate of the subject as a training for life. ‘It teaches you a huge range of essential, practical skills,’ he says. ‘That's why Geography graduates are so popular with employers.’

I had 146 bow ties at the last count with patterns ranging from aliens to Hershey bars. It's about bringing fun to the classroom.

Jon Bryson, Geography Teacher

Mr Bryson is keen to emphasise that his brand of Geography is delivered with a light touch. And his vivid and ever-present bow-ties reflect this strand of his character. ‘The bow ties started out as a sort of Christmas entertainment for pupils and became a trademark,’ says Mr Bryson, whose love of colour also finds expression in a passion for nurturing wildflowers. ‘I had 146 ties at the last count with patterns ranging from aliens to Hershey bars. It's about bringing fun to the classroom.’