A Conversation With... Mr Ebun-Cole
This week, we had A Conversation With Mr Ebun-Cole, teacher of Modern Languages and Boarding Activities Co-ordinator. Joining in 2015, this term marks three years since starting at Shiplake and his hard work and dedication to the boarding programme led to the College being shortlisted for the 2018 TES Best Boarding School Award.
What does your average day entail?
On a typical day, I’ll teach four or five lessons then I’ll take part in either sports or a co-curricular activity depending on the term. I’ll then either be on duty in Burr for a couple of hours until the start of prep or I’ll lead the weekday boarding activity after prep. There’s also lesson planning, marking, photocopying and promoting boarding activities (by word of mouth, Snapchat, posters, emails etc.) to be done.
What is your favourite thing about life at Shiplake?
I love the Friday afternoon staff kick about as well as the Monday evening Staff vs Shiplake Villagers 8 aside football match on the Astroturf. I also like my one minute commute to my classroom.
Which boarding activity have you enjoyed most, and which will you never do again?
I won’t be organising laser quest anytime soon but that is to do with the lack of a good laser quest venue nearby as opposed to the activity itself not being fun.
I have always had a hard time with superlatives so I am going to name a few of the activities that I have personally done with boarders and enjoyed. The stand-up comedian and the magician that performed in the autumn term were both excellent but I was also very nervous about their performances as I was desperate for them to succeed. The following have also been very enjoyable: airsoft, bubble football, manhunt, 5-a-side football, trips to the cinema, recent 20-mile bike ride organised in Sonning Common, sushi night, crepe night, fondue night, go-karting and the social at Queen Anne’s, to name a few.
Compared to Shiplake, what was your experience of secondary school like?
No comparison. The class sizes are a lot smaller here and teachers make a lot more time for students here than at my secondary school in Hornchurch. My biggest source of envy however, is the amount of time dedicated to sports and the excellent organisation of sporting events. I wish I had had the opportunity to travel by coach to away fixtures, get changed in changing rooms that must rival the ones in some professional clubs, play on some of the surfaces that the boys play on, with the lines drawn, neutral referees and then have match tea at the end. Even as a teacher, I am blown away by this, let alone fifteen year-old me.
What do you like to do during the school holidays?
During the holidays, I am almost always away visiting family and friends in London and Kent or travelling abroad. In the summer, I do a summer camp in Switzerland for a few weeks before travelling.
What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you?
I feel like I have been blessed/lucky to have a supportive family, to have been healthy, to have traveled and lived in many parts of the world and to have made some lifelong friends.
What does the future hold for Mr Ebun-Cole?
Who knows? I hope to embrace fear and accept new challenges whether they present themselves here at Shiplake or elsewhere.