Let That Be a Lesson

Ryan Wilson was born and grew up in Northern Ireland where knew from an early age that he wanted to be a teacher. Straight out of university, he did a PGCE at the age of twenty-one and, after his training, spent five years teaching in a comprehensive school in Essex before leaving for a Head of Department job in London. He loved every aspect of teaching - the planning, the kids, the colleagues, the material, even the marking - but after a decade of budget cuts, hyper-accountability and unsupportive governments Ryan eventually left teaching to go back to university and now works as a radio producer and reporter. He has written about education for the Guardian and the Times Educational Supplement, including taking on the mantle of the Guardian's Secret Teacher.