Get to know the people behind Edge Grove
What is your name?
Liam Lester.
What is your role at Edge Grove?
Head of English and year 7 form tutor.
How long have you been at Edge Grove?
6 months.
What did you do before joining Edge Grove?
I was an English teacher in the state secondary sector.
What do you love most about your job?
Being reminded daily of the power of words. One of the reasons I chose English as my specialism was knowing how much a writer's choice of word can change their readers' perspectives. I'm grateful that I can talk passionately about my subject. I hope this inspires some of our students to be passionate about English too.
What do you love most about Edge Grove?
Can I mention lunch? Or the amazing grounds? The library has to be included here too.
Who is your favourite colleague and why?
This is like being asked 'who is your favourite student?' It's impossible to answer, although I think I might be in trouble if I don't mention how the English department are all brilliant.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
Middle Earth, preferably next to Bilbo Baggins. There's something quite special about the way Tolkein describes hobbit-holes; they sound right up my street, especially with their well-stocked pantries and cosy rooms.
Failing that, I quite like the idea of living in a tree house, like the Swiss Family Robinson.
What is your biggest fear? I have several. Never being allowed to hear anything by Beethoven for the rest of my life; Aston Villa being relegated again (and Birmingham City being champions of the Premier League); an army of rats invading my home; a cultural apocalypse... What did you want to be when you were little?
My answer to this question comes in stages, related to ages: aged 9-11 I wanted to be an RAF pilot; aged 11-13 I wanted to be a baker. Then as a moody teenager, I had aspirations to be a writer.