For our final 'A Conversation With... ' of this half term, we had a chat to science teacher, Mr Charlie Littledale who joined Shiplake in September, all the way from Columbia. Mr Littledale has some fascinating tales to tell of his time in Columbia, but now he is back in the UK he loves nothing more than spending time with his family and home comforts.
What is your role at Shiplake and where were you before you started with us?
I teach across the sciences as well as coaching a bit of football and tennis. Before that I was teaching internationally in Bogota, Colombia.
As we head into half term, what are your first impressions of Shiplake College?
Friendly - both staff and students have made a real effort to make me feel welcome. My experiences so far have been extremely positive.
Can you tell us a bit about your time in Colombia?
I taught science at a bilingual school in Bogota which gave us the perfect base from which to travel - Colombia has a wealth of things to see and do. Particular highlights were visiting the rainforest, walking the Cuidad Perdida (Colombia’s equivalent of the Inca trail), and exploring the country’s beautiful coffee region.
Colombians are incredibly kind people and the country is definitely safer than perceived this side of the Atlantic, but still not without its dangers. During our time there, university students burned a row of buses stopping our students making it into school for days on end, people took to the streets banging pans together at all hours (among other tactics) in protest of government policy - resulting in the first unconditional curfew in the capital since the 1960s - and guerilla groups rearmed preventing us from venturing too far from the beaten track.
Other than Colombia and the UK, if you could teach anywhere in the world where would that be and why?
My mother is Italian and I am a dual-citizen however, embarrassingly, I barely speak a word of the language. Hence, I would love to move to Italy, gain some grasp of the language, reconnect with relatives and learn to make fresh pasta like my grandfather used to make for us when we visited.
What inspired you to become a science teacher?
I used to work in scientific research looking closely at cell division - this consisted of spending hours on end squinting through microscopes. Whilst I loved the academic side of the job, the lack of social interaction highlighted how much I enjoy working with people, so transitioning into teaching seemed like a no brainer. It remains one of my best decisions.
Which scientists do you admire the most?
There are many, but I will just mention one in particular - Li Wenliang. Wenliang, a medical doctor, identified a new type of virus spreading through Wuhan province, China. He alerted the world to the dangers of this infection - what we now know as ‘COVID-19’ - despite being investigated by the police for “spreading rumors”, saving many lives in the process. Despite knowing the danger he was putting himself in, he continued to treat patients, ultimately leading to his death aged only 33. His father was quoted as saying “My son is wonderful”. I agree.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Ideally something active, I enjoy playing sport, but walking the dog through the woods across the road is a nice alternative. My son is 6 months old and my nephews are 11 and 7 - watching them explore the world is pretty special.
What does the future hold for Mr Littledale?
Hopefully nothing too dramatic. The College has a fantastic new climbing wall, I’d like to give that a try. Apart from that, some home comforts will be enough for me.
