Born to Irish parents, I lived in Coventry for 20 years, until I moved to Birmingham where I trained to be a teacher. I have been working at Bearwood for over five years now and have really enjoyed all of my time there.
I come from a large family, having two brothers and one sister, although as I am the youngest, I still get spoilt by my mum!
Growing up was tinged with sadness, as my father passed away when I was only four years old. As I get older the memories seem to fade, although photographs help me to remember him. One of my most treasured items is an old audio cassette recording, where my father and I sang a song called ‘Bimbo’. Listening to it still brings a tear to my eye.
I spent a lot of time volunteering on Coventry City Farm, where I began looking after the animals and then moved into working with children during the summer playschemes. I always thought I wanted to be a vet, until I saw how a cow’s temperature was taken!
As a teenager, I also enjoyed drama and was part of the Bare Essentials Youth Theatre. We were lucky enough to travel to Russia and perform to over 2000 Russian school children. I appeared on Russian TV – well at least my arm did! I have the photograph to prove it too!
I began my training as a teacher in 1994 and completed my degree in 1998. However, in that year, not only did I qualify as a teacher, I also got married and now have two children aged 11 and 8.
I have worked at many schools before eventually coming to Bearwood. For a few years, I was Assistant Head Teacher at a school in Birmingham, although I didn’t enjoy that job as much as being a classroom teacher, because it seemed that I lost contact with the children – the part of the job I most enjoy.
I’m now looking forward to everything else life brings, especially watching my sons grow up!