James Tearle
Departments
Chemistry
I C T
Qualifications
BA St. Peter's Oxford
Contact information
Telephone: +44 (0)1280 818149
Email: jtearle@stowe.co.uk
Life before Stowe
This seems like quite a long time ago having been at Stowe for 19 years! I was brought up locally and went to the Royal Latin School. I then took a gap year to travel around the Middle East before reading Chemistry at Oxford. Whilst there, I was college rugby captain, JCR president and a committee member of Vincents Club. A PGCE at Bristol followed this and my first 2 years of teaching were at Bishop Wand School in London.
What do you enjoy most about your subject?
I love everything about Chemistry and it has been my one constant passion since the age of eight. From this young age, the wonders of smells, flashes and bangs hooked me into a fascinating subject. Chemistry is everywhere and the practical side of Chemistry is a great pleasure.
What do you enjoy most about Stowe?
The community, the surroundings and the chance it has given me to teach Chemistry and to experiment with how ICT can best be used to enhance teaching. I also met my wife at Stowe and I am thrilled to have been able to bring up my children in this very friendly and beautiful environment.
What is your favourite Lesson?
I thoroughly enjoy teaching all ages, abilities and areas of the syllabus. I love lessons that draw areas of Chemistry together and leave the participants with a clear understanding of how different areas connect together. I believe that all Science lessons should be an exciting voyage of discovery and, where appropriate, explosive in nature!
What do others say about you?
Most students hopefully realise how much I love my subject and that I enjoy blowing things up. Having run the ICT Department for the last 7 years, many Stoics probably see me as an ICT man. I enjoy the bemused look on their face when they see me walk in to a Chemistry classroom for the first time. Occasionally rumours circulate about me winning a national Chemistry teaching prize. This is only partly true as I was a national finalist in the Salter's Prize for teaching chemistry in 1994.
Other hats
I am Head of Science and Director of ICT.
Passions
I love live music - doubtless a result of doing lighting and special effects for local heavy metal and punk bands in my youth. I was also a DJ at college and was involved with lighting for the Oxford University Dramatic Society. I also enjoy home brewing although time for this is limited. I enjoy any good scientific read and the quality of current popular science writing is now better that it has ever been.