Our pupils do amazing things every single day, but behind those achievements are all of the hardworking staff here at Merchant Taylors’ School. In Staff Spotlights we look to explore the diverse backgrounds and skills of the people who make Merchant Taylors’ a great place to be. This week we hear from Malcolm Pacey, Head of German, Joint Leader of Wellbeing.
When did you join Merchant Taylors’?
I joined the School in September 2012 after relocating from Melbourne, Australia where I’d been teaching in a rather similar boys’ school.
Tell us about your subject. What excites you about it? How did you get into it?
I was turned on to German by three really enthusiastic teachers. I grew up in the far outer-suburbs of Sydney where there was practically no diversity represented. These teachers, with their language skills and experiences abroad were rather exotic in my eyes and I aspired to be like them. Learning a language is full of pitfalls and traps but it never ever seemed like hard work to me. It was always fun, and I loved watching my range of dialogues for use in all kinds of situations grow! So much of what we utter everyday is basically a pre-scripted conversational transaction.
What are you most proud of outside of your work at school?
I’ve tried to live adventurously in that I’ve been prepared to throw myself into strange new situations since I first did my exchange to Germany at age 16. Going to Europe from Australia in the very early 1990s was quite the trip and my only contact with family was a five-minute phone call a week. Since then, I’ve taught on Tasmania; I then took a year’s leave to teach in London; ended up in the United States for four years; headed back to Melbourne and then, once again, to London.
What did you study at A-Level?
The education system in New South Wales allows for more breadth than the A level system, meaning I was able to matriculate in five subjects! Extension German; English; both Ancient & Modern History and Mathematics!
What piece of media would you recommend and why?
Learning a language these days with all the technology has never been easier. That said, the sheer volume of material makes it harder than ever to choose! Just choose one and stick with it! Failing that, sitting down and concentrating with a book can work wonders, too
