People of IPS Cascais: Melissa Theobold

Meet Melissa Theobold, our well-traveled Key Stage 3 leader and Head of English here at IPS Cascais. Originally from just outside of York, Melissa has come all the way to Cascais and is now living life here in Portugal along with her trusty cat, Shelby.

 

Where did you grow up, and what was it like there? 

I grew up in Upper Poppleton in North Yorkshire - a small, sleepy village defined by its 5 pubs, a village green with a Maypole, the river Ouse running through it and the countless snickerways and patches of forest that we would play in as kids.

 

What’s a tradition your family had while growing up that you still cherish? 

A family tradition I still value - and that we have never grown out of -  is a healthy, heated debate on a Sunday night. With any topic on the table and everyone interjecting, playing devil’s advocate and interrupting each other, it can sometimes bubble over and get a little overzealous, but I still love nothing more and nothing more is needed to make me feel at home.

 

What’s your all-time favorite book, movie, band or TV show? 

This is an incredibly tough question. As an ex-film student, I really have too many films to choose from, but Usual Suspects and The Bridges of Madison County have never quite been knocked off the top spot. Books-wise, as a child, Bad Mood Bear and, as a teen, The Tesseract by Irvine Welsh (author of The Beach)  got me keen on reading, as I realised books could be as gritty and shocking as film.

 

What’s your favourite memory from your childhood?

We used to go camping most years in Gairloch in the Scottish Highlands with a gang of family friends, and jumping off sand dunes was our obsession every year for as long as I can remember.

 

How did you become interested in working in education?

I always babysat as a teenager in secondary school and at University, I worked for a charity called Aimhigher, which ran projects connecting university students to underprivileged teens to help them obtain GCSEs and be able to consider options in further education, should they choose it. The joy and creativity involved in helping provide future opportunity through small, incremental “Aha, I get it!” moments helped me decide this was the correct path for me.

 

What is your steepest learning curve?

Undoubtedly, this is teaching in general. I think if you are doing it right, then every year is a new learning curve; it just may be that the learning is different or the curve is a little shallower or steeper. I remember my first year teaching in a school, this was just learning how to manage the time of 25 people, guiding them through multiple lessons and interactions with each other every day - now this is second nature, and other aspects of the role come to the fore.

 

How do you remain curious?

I think curiosity runs in my veins. I think for me it comes from appreciating how little you know about so many different aspects of life and the world around us - there is always more to find out! I find curiosity in the world around me, conversations with friends and strangers, and of course, when you work with children and teenagers, who can so often school you on any topic of their choice - this is pretty humbling!

 

IPS is a great place because…

of the true sense of community here. I cherish the inclusive and warm family atmosphere this school has been built on, and that continues with every new family that joins IPS.