Teacher Spotlight - An Interview with Mr Livesey

Nina Martin, Y10

Hi there! I’m Mr. Livesey, I teach History, Social Studies and Theory of Knowledge from Y7 all the way to Y13. Let’s answer some questions!

What’s your favorite year group to teach?...

This is a loaded question, I will not answer it.

What was your favorite class in high school and did you always want to be a History Teacher?...

My favorite class was history of course! I always wanted to be a teacher and then it was logical to teach History because of how much I loved it. I guess it came from playing historical games like “Civilisation” [a video game]. I studied History in my Undergrad and I did a Masters as well.

Did you study any other subjects?...

No… 

Are you sure?

Yes! I see what you’re doing!

[Mr. Livesey studied English in university but does not wish to admit as to not have his students call him out for his grammar :). So, if you ever see an error, remember this little fun fact!]

What would you say is your favorite characteristic about yourself?

About myself? I think I'm easy going, chill. That’s pretty good.

What would you say to someone who wants to pursue a career involving history?

Definitely study history. You’re not going to become a historian, not many people do. I think many people don’t study it because they think you have to become a teacher or a historian but there are so many job opportunities for someone with that newly learned skill set. Originally I wanted to become a historian; I did my Masters because I wanted to do a PhD but it was very difficult and I was like “Oh… no…”. But I also wanted to be a teacher, so it was like teacher first, then historian, and then I switched back.

How long have you been teaching?

I’ve been teaching for seven years at three different schools!

What was high school like for you?

Highschool? Wow, I don’t remember… just being around friends and having a good time. I was sporty. I played rugby, football, tennis and badminton. But my friend group wasn’t necessarily sporty… 

Did you have cliques in your school?

Of course! There are always cliques! But, umm, yeah, I wasn’t in the cool clique… it was just the okay clique, the middle clique. They were fine, they were okay.

What about university?

My favorite thing was exploring a new city, getting out of my parents house. I studied in New Castle. So you know, just being independent learning how to cook for the first time! It was very challenging… I still don’t know how to do it properly. Laundry was challenging. But yeah it was good to be independent.

If you had to move tomorrow where would you want to go?

Germany. I think Germany would be a good place to live. Close to home. Very clean, very nice. Trains go on time. It’s beautiful.

What’s your worst student story?

A student once - in my old school - threw a paper airplane in my eye and I had a bad eye for a week. But that student… I killed him [This is a joke. Mr. Livesey did not murder a child.]

Teacher Spotlight - An Interview with Mrs Day

Jiya Mahapatra and Georgia Lyden (Y12)

So what book are you reading at the moment? 

I've just finished Pride and Prejudice, and I've just started Persuasion.  I like to dip into classics and contemporary. I don't know if I've mentioned this to you, but Jane Austen is on my family tree, so I absolutely adore her. I’ve read Pride and Prejudice before and I love it, and every time I read it, it's funny or there's something new. Before that, I read The Square of Sevens, which is a new book and then before that I read My Husband's Killer, which is a complete beach read compared to Jane Austen. 

So how are you related to Jane Austen? 

One of my mum's cousins is a genealogist, so he tracked it really far back. Actually, Jane Austen never had children, but her brother,  Francis,  had a daughter called Mary Ann,  and that's my line. I did my dissertation at university on Jane Austen and I didn't know we were related, because I only discovered this about five years ago. So when we went to Jane Austen's house in summer, just to have a look around because I've never been, there was a picture on the wall of Mary Ann Austen, who is one of my relative down the tree. So it just nurtured an even greater love of her. She's funny, she's powerful and she just doesn't adhere or conform to social norms at the time. She’s great! 

At what point in your life did you know that you wanted to do something related to English or study it?

At school, it's just always been one of my favourite subjects. I did my A Levels, and then at university it just seemed like a natural progression to do a degree in English Language and Literature. My English teachers encouraged it, so I did my degree in it. And then I thought ‘how can you do a job where you get to use these skills?’ What’s better than being paid to read literature? 

Speaking of books, is there a particular book whose message has stuck with you? 

In terms of messages, I read a book by Matt Haig called the Midnight Library. It's interesting because it's got hidden messages none of which I can really recall now. It's layered though, so you can enjoy it at surface level, or you can do a deeper dive and look at hidden meanings like depression and mental health. It's a great read, and you really root for the protagonist.

What's your favourite thing about being an English teacher?

I think it is when you're teaching a poem or a short story and you don't give too much away and then students approach it like they're detectives. All of a sudden they have an epiphany when they discover it's deeper meanings or it's symbolism. It's really rewarding to see them go, ‘Oh my god, that's so clever!’ 

Yeah, that’s amazing! Speaking of FIS, how long have you been in Hong Kong? How did you end up here? 

I came to Hong Kong in 2013.  Before that,  Mr. Day and I were thinking ‘if we stay in England, we'll just keep teaching and getting into a routine’ So let's go and teach somewhere else. So we went to China to teach. We did a year in China and enjoyed being in Asia. We had friends who taught in Hong Kong. So we thought, why not apply to Hong Kong? We got a school in Hong Kong.  And then we both went to different schools, and I was at another school for about six or seven years here, and that's where I worked with Mr. Chan before. And then a job opportunity arose here.  And he said, I really think that you like the students and you like the school and the approach. So I applied and met Mr. Wilson. He was just great. So I was thought that it sounds like right up my tree. So yeah,  it is a nice school. I think that the student ethos is nice, and students want to do well, don't they? I think that's a nice vibe. I keep saying vibe, I'm trying to stop saying vibe. It's an easy current word to engage with your readers.

Final question - if you could choose to live in any fictional world, which would you choose?

Harry Potter!! I should have gone to Hogwarts! I'm a Gryffindor through and through. I love it. I would love to have been a student at Hogwarts and then obviously a professor at Hogwarts. That's the natural trajectory.

Thank you very much to Mrs Day for her wonderful interview!