In this week's edition of 'A Conversation With...', we caught up with Dr Liz Chare, Head of Science at Shiplake College. From her passion for the field of biology, to wingsuit flying over Switzerland, there was plenty to uncover for this feature!
What is your role and how long have you been at Shiplake?
I am Head of Science and I have been at Shiplake since January 2020 – just before lockdown.
What were you doing before Shiplake?
Previously I was Head of Science, Head of Boarding and Deputy Head Pastoral in an independent school in Ealing, London, before having a family.
What is a day in the life at Shiplake like for Dr Chare?
The vast majority of my timetable is teaching. I don’t think there is any other job where you come into contact with so many different people, where you get to interact with them and see them progress over time. It is a privilege to teach and I am lucky to do a job that I thoroughly enjoy. Some of the most important and valuable conversations happen outside the classroom. The best days are when you see a great improvement; there’s not much in life more rewarding than that.
When I’m not teaching I might be looking after the RAF cadets or on a Bronze Duke of Edinburgh weekend. We were lucky enough to have two opportunities to fly last year – gliding at RAF Upavon and flying Grob tutors at RAF Benson.
What do you think the future holds within the field of biology?
I went into biology because I wanted to understand the nature of life – what it is to be alive, how and why cells stay alive and how it is the case that a middle-aged person with middle-aged cells can be the source of a baby apparently made out of brand-new cells. I was also fascinated by evolution and specifically how human consciousness has evolved. These are questions that have not been fully answered and still fascinate me!
Other areas of particular interest include the possibility of being able to limit the ageing or even reverse the aging of cells, which could have huge impacts on our life span. The possibility of using new or rediscovered drugs to overcome mental illnesses including PTSD. Dreaming up new technologies that could be used to absorb gigatonnes of carbon dioxide to help us limit, or even reverse global warming. Biologists are only limited by their imagination!
What is the best thing about working at Shiplake?
The students and the beautiful river. I don’t make enough time for it, but I love paddling down the backwaters on a paddleboard.
What do you do away from work?
I’m mostly with my family and we’re happiest on a beach. In the past I used to be involved in a number of extreme sports and did a lot of skydiving and wingsuit flying. However, since having a family, I have swapped skydiving for spirituality. I’ve been a practising Nichiren Buddhist for the last few years which has been an enormous spiritual support. I spend a lot of my time pondering the nature of reality and consciousness. I hugely enjoy being part of the staff prayer group and love the fact that is open to all people of all faiths and persuasions.
Wingsuit flying sounds like a thrill! Where has been your favourite place to fly/skydive and why?
The most memorable skydiving holiday was getting to wingsuit fly and skydive in Switzerland, which was very beautiful over the tops of the mountains. You had to be particularly aware of your altitude and position in the mountains, as 3000ft above the valley floor might be the equivalent of 30ft above the top of a mountain!
