Miss S Rea

Favourite subject at school

At school I enjoyed History more than any other subject because I love how History is a collection of stories all woven together; stories from individuals and from whole groups in society which all come together to teach us how our present has been shaped by these stories from the past.  I am a true believer in the idea that you have to understand the past to be able to truly understand why we have the present that we have and to know how to change the future.  As a child I was incredibly lucky because my parents took me to many historical sites including lots of different castles which I loved!  This also, no doubt, helped me to fall in love with history as I imagined the Kings, Queens and soldiers of the castles and how they lived their lives so many years ago.  Now it is my turn to take my two daughters to historical sites like the DDay beaches, Warwick Castle and the Palace of Versailles and I hope that I can pass on this love for history to the next generation too!

Hobbies

I enjoy travelling, being outdoors and spending time with my family and friends.  My hobbies since having children have changed slightly to taking them to, and watching them enjoy, their hobbies!  So I spend much of my time at gymnastics, dance and swimming classes - on the touchlines these days!  I also enjoy learning languages, going to historical sites, swimming and anything to do with animals.  I like to be creative and crafty so one of my favourite rainy day activities with my daughters is paint a pot or crafty activities which end up very messy indeed, so if you see me covered in glitter, you know why!

About me

I was born in Burton-on-Trent, not far from The Pingle Academy and after a brief couple of years living in Melbourne, Australia my family moved back to South Derbyshire and I went to school at John Port in Etwall.  I went to university in Swansea, Wales where I discovered on the open day that you could see the sea from the lecture hall and that had me hooked!  I studied History there and loved every minute of it.  I decided that I wanted to carry on talking about History all day long and I wanted to help people to see how amazing the subject is too.  Being a History teacher seemed like the perfect fit and I did my PGCE at Nottingham University before being lucky enough to get a job at The Pingle Academy where I have been ever since. 

The Pingle Academy is a special place for me.  I strongly believe in the values that we uphold of “Work Hard, Be Kind and Choose Wisely” and I want the best for each and every student within this amazing academy.  I believe that together we can be a success and it makes me proud each year to see the fabulous places, jobs and lives that our students go on to experience and I hope to be a part of that for many years to come.