From working on spacecraft at the European Space Agency to teaching and coaching here at Shiplake, this week's 'A Conversation With...' features the mathematics department's second-in-charge, Mr Adie Davis. Find out more about what motivated him to pursue a career in education, in addition to his impressive culinary skills.
What is your role and how long have you been at Shiplake?
I am second-in-charge of the mathematics department and an Everett Year 11 tutor. I have been here since September 2022.
What were you doing before Shiplake?
I have been teaching for 18 years. For most of those years, I was in charge of KS4 mathematics. Some of my best memories include taking students away on week-long outward bound activity weeks. It's great to see pupils outside of the mathematics classroom. You get to know them much better when you get to support them overcoming fears and challenges.
What is a day in the life at Shiplake like for Mr Davis?
I get to school quite early at around 7.00am. I cycle to work everyday and so I stop off at the sports hall to get changed. If you come to my room, you will see a large selection of shirts and ties that I can choose from. I am relishing the opportunity to teach A-level mathematics again. My most recent role was at an 11-16 school, so A-level teaching was not possible. I also embraced coaching Lower School rugby last term. I don't teach Year 7, but I have got to know them all through rugby. I think I've learned as much as they have along the way.
You've previously worked for the ESA - what kind of work and projects were you a part of and how does it differ to working at a school?
I worked on two spacecraft projects as a spacecraft controller. This was based at ESA's main operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany. EURECA was the most interesting as it was a special spacecraft that was designed to be retrieved and brought back to earth. Most spacecraft, on reaching the end of their useful life, are ejected into outer space or allowed to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. EURECA carried out many micro gravity experiments, all whilst orbiting the Earth. It was, therefore, important to bring it back so the experiment results could be analysed. Launch and retrieval of EURECA was performed by NASA's space shuttle so I got to work (indirectly) with NASA astronauts.
People often ask me what made me leave ESA and become a teacher. The two main reasons are, working with pupils is more rewarding and every day as a teacher is unpredictable. You can never predict what questions pupils will ask or what mood they will be in. Spacecraft, on the other hand, are very reliable and so day-to-day operations were very predictable.
What do you do away from work?
I enjoy walking, mostly doing so in mountainous regions. I have walked up many of the highest peaks in the UK several times as well as some in Germany, Austria and the US. I also enjoy cooking and growing my own vegetables. My most popular dishes to cook are Indian where all are made from scratch. I have my own spice collection at home with around fifty different spices. This allows me to try lots of different combinations to get the flavour just right.
What does the future hold for Mr Davis?
I am still settling into Shiplake life after being part of a school trust for many years so I am not looking too far into the future. I just want to make the most of this opportunity here at Shiplake. Hopefully, by the time I come to leave, I will have made a lasting impression on Shiplake life.
